


Super Monsters One Shot Collection

by ShadowmanePX41



Category: Super Monsters
Genre: Cleo Graves Appreciation, Cute Kids, Drac Shadows is very Vain, DracKatya Shipping, EsmIgor Shipping, Frankie Mash is my Spirit Animal, Gen, Igor is a jolly man, Katya Spelling is Adorable, Lobo Howler is the fluffiest of fluffy bois, Lobo x Vida Shipping, Ms. Esmie is sweet as honey, Ms. Mina being Ms. Mina, Olive is a darling, Rocky; the gargoyle of many colours, Sami Snow being a bean, SpiCleo Shipping, Spike Gong doing things, The New Class, Vida and her plants, Zane Walker and his sister, Zoe Walker and her love for art, Zoe x Zane shipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 58,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26801917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowmanePX41/pseuds/ShadowmanePX41
Summary: Hello! My name is ShadowmanePX41. And this is just a collection of one-shots involving the Netflix show, "Super Monsters." This will be a collection of stories in a single group, with different plots, different experiences, and different things happening in each chapter.Yeah, I've gotten so bored that this is where I've gotten to in my life. Well, nothing else to do now but come along for the ride, huh? Come along with me, won't you?
Relationships: Cleo x Spike, Drac x Katya, Lobo x Vida, Zoe x Frankie, Zoe x Zane
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Cleo's Cold

It was just another day about to break into the night in Pitchfork Pines, and the twelve Super Monsters were gathering in the main room. Drac, Katya, Lobo, Frankie, Zoe, Cleo, Spike, Vida, Olive, Rocky, Sami, and Zane. Spending their last few moments of the day as their human forms. Igor, Ms. Esmie, and Ms. Mine were all standing by, keeping a watchful eye over the kids as they all got on with their shenanigans.

Upstairs in the Purple Room, Cleo was feeling a little bit different than usual. Nothing too much out of the ordinary, but she did feel a sensation in her nose. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it, but it was causing her to only intake air through one of her two nostrils, while also bungling up her voice ever so slightly. And she wasn't the only one who had noticed. During a little drawing session at the table, Cleo had tried her best not to blow her nose, but she really couldn't help it. She reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a piece of tissue paper, blowing hard into it.

"What's wrong, Cleo?" Katya, who had been sitting at the other end of the table, leaned over to see what was the cause of Cleo's discomfort.

"Huh? Oh. It's nothing, Katya," said Cleo, who's voice was a little stuffed. "Just something with my nose."

"Oh dear... I hope it isn't anything serious." Katya might have only been a child, but even she knew that a nose was just as important as the rest of the body.

"Don't worry, Katya. I'll be fine," Cleo, noticing Katya's worry, replied promptly. "Once the moon comes up, I'm sure this stuff will clear up. And if it doesn't, I know I can count on you for some magic to fix it."

"You know, my magic can do a lot of things, but I'm not sure I'm that good yet," Katya twiddled her thumbs. "Don't get me wrong, it is a wonderful thing, but there's only so much I know at my age. If it gets really bad, I can always get Igor and Ms. Esmie to get your mom."

"What's up?" Drac had noticed the exchange between Cleo and Katya and made his way over.

"Oh, hey, Drac. I was just wondering about what's going on with Cleo's nose." Katya pointed out Cleo's stuffed nose.

"I don't see anything wrong with it." Drac took one look at Cleo's nose, trying to figure out what the problem was.

"It's not exactly on the nose. It's something going on inside of it." Cleo said, then just had to blow her nose once again into the tissue. "There's some kind of mess inside of it. I don't know what it is, but it's making my voice sound funny."

"You're right, Cleo. It is making your voice sound funny," Lobo was the next one to speak up. "B-but, I'm sure you'll feel better once the moon comes up, right?"

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Cleo put a smile back on her face, balled up the tissue, and deposited it over in the distant trash bin. "I guess it's just a human thing."

"Well, it won't be around for long. Look." Zoe pointed towards the skylight high above. The sky was beginning to darken outside. And even though they couldn't get a clear shot of the sun falling in the distance, they had all done this song and dance many times that it became second nature. "Sun Down..."

Monsters Up!" The children all chorused at once, as a torrential surge of purple and white light took them once again. One by one, the eight children within the Purple Room took on their other forms once again, for another night of revelry under the light of the moon.

"Drac!" Again, he burst into his white-skinned, jet-black-haired, vampire form, complete with a form-fitting suit that had a purple bat-shaped bow tie.

"Katya!" She twirled on the spot once more and used her wand to don the guise of her witch self, complete with hat, cyan skin, and her cat, Henri by her side.

"Lobo!" Throwing his arms outward, his human skin was coated with the fur of a brown wolf, and his two sharpened fangs poked out of his mouth.

"Frankie!" With a lift of his arm, he took on the form of a Frankenstein; his monster form. And, true to a Frankenstein's monster, it had green skin, stitches on the head, and ripped shorts.

"Zoe!" She also threw both arms out, as her hair once more exploded from buns to dreadlocks of many colours, and her skin turned blue. Her yellow dress was also coated with paint splatters from top to bottom

"Cleo!" She took on her new form with a gust of wind, letting her bunched up hair hang down as the gold headdress donned her head and her mummy wrapping formed on her body from the neck down.

"Spike!" With a hop into the air, his human self had washed away as an orange dragon with cyan-tipped quills on the head took its' place. With wings that had golden webbing, a teal suit with a golden rope around the waistline, and short claws and talons.

"Vida!" Being the last one to change, her hair turned purple, and her body donned paint that looked akin to a Dia De Los Muertos celebration. White face and arms, artistic paint patterns around the eyes, and lines on the arms that made them look like bones.

"Super Monsters!" All eight of the transformed children chorused at the same time; marking the completion of their changes and the beginning of the night ahead.

Once properly transformed, the children all scattered again, breaking in their powers for another night. And as they reacted, so too did the Purple Room. As Drac took towards the ceiling, it shifted and grew taller, so as to give him some more room to fly. Similarly, as he descended back down, so did the ceiling. Katya was already making her way over towards her spell corner, wand at the ready. Lobo was darting around at supersonic speed. So fast, in fact, that a piece of the ground turned into a conveyor belt to keep him in place. He was still panting all the while. A wall of bricks appeared by Frankie's side. He wound up a punch and let it fly into the wall, effortlessly knocking over all the bricks. Shortly after, they glowed pale green and reformed the wall. On the topic of walls, Zoe found a set of coloured walls standing in her way. Chuckling, she ran through them, phasing straight through them as if they weren't even there. Spike was also flapping, but he was also billowing some clouds. Flapping through the air, he was already beginning to shape them with his little claws. As for Vida, there was another corner of the room that nobody was occupying. One that had plant pots, hanging plants, and various other plant life. She spared no time in laying her hands on one pot, which made her arms and hands glow wherever there were marks. Shortly after, the plants started to sprout and grow at a rapid pace.

Cleo, on the other hand, still had her stuffy nose. But that didn't stop her. Using her wind powers, Cleo spawned a small typhoon of winds that she shifted around the room, making sure not to interfere with the other Super Monsters' training. At first, it seemed good, and she made a smirk as she bent the wind to her desires. As she brought it back, however, her nose twitched.

"A-ah-ah..." Cleo tried her best to suppress her nose's activity, but it was too much for her to handle. At last, she buckled. Her eyes shut tight and her hands jolted as she finally sneezed. "ACHOO!" And with that sneeze, her tornado lost its' form and blew out in all directions. The single windblast was able to disorient Frankie and cause him to headbutt the bricks while launching both Drac and Spike upward, and Zoe and Lobo to the floor; which immediately ended the Purple Room's treadmill effect. Because Katya and Vida were the furthest away from Cleo's wing explosion, they both only felt a small breeze.

"Cleo?" Ms. Esmie saw everything. She very quickly went over to Cleo's side and laid an arm down on her shoulder. "What's going on? Why did you do that?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Esmie." Cleo turned up to face her. "I don't know what just happened. I just felt a really bad tickle in my nose and then I just sneezed." She held her hands outward. "I didn't mean to interrupt everyone else's..." Suddenly, it happened again. Her nose ended up twitching and she felt another sneeze coming on. "Achoo!" She sneezed again, blowing herself onto her back, sending a powerful gust of wind through Ms. Esmie's clothes.

"It sure doesn't sound like everything's alright, Cleo." Drac drifted down to her side, hovering a few inches off of the ground by her side. "What's the matter?"

"I don't really know, Drac. It's not like I'm tr—achoo!" Cleo stood back up and sneezed once more. Her sneeze was so powerful, that it ended up blowing Drac backwards through the air. He fought the wind by flying forward, but even then, he was just barely holding his position. As soon as Cleo's sneeze died down, he dashed forward, crashing into Cleo's stomach, which sent both of them tumbling to the floor.

"Oh dear!" Katya stopped what she was doing and came running over, along with the other Super Monsters who had just witnessed the chaos. Before long, all seven of the other kids were gathered around Cleo, who was still trying to get back up to her feet. But even as she got back up, she was still sniffling and trying to get up.

"What's wrong, Cleo?" Spike asked as he saw Cleo try to balance herself. "You're looking a little wobbly."

"I agree, Spike. Cleo's definitely got something wrong..." Igor bent his knees and brought his face level with Cleo's. "A Super Monster's powers usually aren't affected by a sneeze..." He put his hand on Cleo's forehead, trying to find out if there was anything else going on. "Hmm... Your temperature seems normal. But those sneezes were anything but."

"I'd disagree, Igor." Cleo sniffled one more time, looking for something to blow her nose with. She was about to use her own mummy wrapping to do so, but she ended up sticking her tongue out at the idea. "Uh... Katya? Can you give me a hand?"

"Oh, of course, Cleo." Katya got a good grip on her wand and cleared her throat. " _Cleo's sneezes are such an issue, but I can fix that with some tissue!_ " Katya swung her wand forward, sending a magical cloud flying forward towards Cleo. It burst just in front of her face, dispersing a bunch of tissues; some of which landed in Cleo's hands. "There you go."

"Thanks, Katya. You're the best." Cleo smiled as she blew her nose as hard as she could into one of the tissues, before balling it up. "I still don't know what the problem is."

"Well, I can go downstairs and see if I can borrow a book from Ms. Mina's class on mummies. Perhaps, there'll be something that can help me figure out what exactly the problem is." Igor replied. "In the meantime, I think it's for the best if you stay close to Ms. Esmie for the time being, Cleo." And he walked out of the Purple Room, leaving the others alone.

"Yeah. I don't wanna end up causing anoth—ah..." She could feel another sneeze building up, so she rammed the paper against her mouth and nose to catch it. "Achoo!" She managed to intercept the phlegm, but that didn't stop her wind powers. And she blew herself up into the air a few feet before landing hard on her butt. The shock was so powerful that it sent a little wave of pain up her body. Cleo yelped and took a moment to get back onto her feet. "Ow..." She moaned, wincing from the fall she had taken.

"Why don't you try and take it easy, Cleo?" Ms. Esmie asked, laying a hand on Cleo's shoulder. "At this rate, you'll end up sneezing all those bandages off."

"You are making an awful lot of sneezes, Cleo. It doesn't look pretty and I bet it feels awfully icky too." Spike couldn't help but feel sorry for Cleo. He knew that all of the Super Monsters were just kids; including him. So for their powers to end up spiralling out of control would definitely cause them to feel sad about it.

"It certainly doesn't sound like a lot of fun, having no control over your sneezes." Zoe put her hands together and watched as Cleo took up another tissue, ready to blow her nose. "Well, I hope that it gets better soon, Cleo."

"Yeah. It certainly doesn't look like it's a lot of fun either. Having to sniffle like that and blow your nose." Lobo just tipped a paw. "If only we knew how to make you not so sniffly anymore."

"And not so sneezy too, Lobo. Don't forget that." Vida lifted a finger. And as if to speak of the devil, Cleo sneezed again. This time, her sneeze sent a powerful gust towards Vida, but it simply blew her hair backwards. "Poor Cleo..."

"I'm sorry, everyone. I don't mean to cause this on purpose." Cleo looked up at the rest of the class, still trying her very best not to let another sneeze rip. "I don't think I should be here; not if my mummy powers are gonna cause you all problems."

"What? No way, Cleo!" Drac swooped down to her side. "You're a Super Monster. You're always gonna be a Super Monster. Sneezes or not, you still belong here. With all of us."

"I know, but I'm... My mummy powers are going out of control every time I sneeze." Cleo looked into Drac's eyes. "We might just be little kids, but my sneezes are gonna get someone hurt. Either me, you, or Ms. Esmie and Igor. And... well, I don't wanna get in trouble." Cleo twiddled her fingers.

"It's not that bad, Cleo. Honestly." Vida took a few steps forward, reaching her hand out for Cleo.

"But it is. Even if I don't get in trouble, these sneezes are awfully dangerous. Every sneeze, whether it's a big sneeze, or a little sne—" Her noise twitched once again and she had to raise her tissue to her mouth again. "Achoo!" She let another sneeze rip, which caused her to tumble backwards. She rolled around until at last, she came to a screeching halt with her belly against the floor. "Sorry. But a big sneeze or a little sneeze is gonna make me use my powers. And I can't tell how powerful it'll be anymore."

"Well... maybe there's a way we can help." Zoe had an idea come to her mind.

"Huh?" The other Super Monsters all turned their gazes to face Zoe.

"If Cleo's sneezes happen because of her nose, then maybe we need to find some way to stop her nose from doing things." Zoe pointed out Cleo's nose. "Drac? Do you think you can get a nose clip? Or something else that can keep Cleo's nose closed?"

"Sure. Be right back." Drac gave a nod, and as red particles imploded around him, he disappeared. This was his new teleportation trick; the one that he had learned by bonding with Bubble and Trouble. Shortly after he disappeared, he reappeared in a similar burst of red energy, with a small, plastic, blue nose clip in his hand. The kind that you would see swimmers wear. "Here we go." He flitted over and dropped the nose clip into Zoe's hands.

"Thanks, Drac." Zoe flashed him a smile, before she waddled over to Cleo. She saw that Cleo was gearing up for another sneeze, but before she could let one out, Zoe placed the nose clip onto Cleo's nose, closing it up.

Cleo, now that her nose was blocked up by the nose clip, felt the sneeze go away. Cleo started catching her breath, taking in deep breaths as the stuffiness disappeared. "I... I'm not so sneezy anymore. Thanks, Zoe." Cleo felt a smile come back to her face at last.

"No problem, Cleo," replied Zoe. "Anything for someone with a bad cases of the sneezes and sniffles."

"Y-yeah. Y'know what? I'm feeling much better now." Cleo felt invigorated by her lack of sneezes, so she grabbed her scarab and tossed it airborne, which summoned her mummified hoverboard. She clambered onto the board, which caused the top part of her headdress to close up, so that it doubled as a helmet. "So y'know what? I feel like flying!" Once she placed herself on the board, she adopted a surfing pose and flew her board up towards the roof of the Purple Room. Cleo cheered to herself as she swooped, spun, and shot around the room on her board, effortlessly flying around without a care in the world.

As Zoe watched Cleo flying, and Drac and Spike joining her for some airborne fun and games, she couldn't help but think about Cleo's cold. All that she had done was block the sniffles, but she knew that it would take much more than just a plugged-up nose to cure Cleo's symptoms. She didn't dare to tell her about it, lest she get upset all over again, but she knew that this was only delaying the inevitable; keeping Cleo from sneezing wildly. She let out a sigh and drooped her head, which caught Frankie's attention immediately.

"Hey, Zoe? What's wrong?" He asked, putting one of his huge hands on Zoe's back. "Cleo's all better now, isn't she?"

"Well, Frankie. She's not sneezing as much as she used to, but her cold's not gonna go away like that." Zoe looked into Frankie's eyes. "That nose clip just stops her from being so sniffly. I don't know how long it'll stay there before Cleo lets out a super-duper humongous sneeze that blows the whole Purple Room away!"

"Blow the Purple Room away? But, it's a huge room full of magic! There's no way that Cleo could sneeze it away." Frankie took one look around the room, then laid his eyes on Cleo. Her sneezes had been awfully powerful, and her wind had been causing the Super Monsters some issues, trips, falls, and other such mishaps. He looked back into Zoe's eyes again. "Could she?"

"I don't know. But I think Cleo could sneeze it all away if her next sneeze is really powerful." Zoe could only watch on as Cleo started playing an aerial game of tag with Spike and Drac. "Oh, I just hope Igor finds out what's wrong with her soon. I don't want to see the Purple Room go away like that."

"I'm gonna get'cha, Spike!" Cleo zipped forward on her board towards Spike, but he just flew underneath her in response.

"You'll have to do much better than that, then, Cleo!" He called back and raced up to the ceiling of the Purple Room, which moved upwards in response.

"Alright then..." Cleo smirked and bent her knees more, rocketing her board upwards for Spike. She got mere inches away from him when he flipped backwards and plunged to the floor, using his wings to swing back upwards. Cleo herself had to swerve her board and re-orient herself. Then, she found Drac, who was an ideal target. She sped towards him and raised her arm out to touch him, only for him to see her advances and teleport away with a laugh. "Almost had ya..."

"Hey, don't worry about it, Cleo. You'll totally get me this time." Drac said, gesturing for her to come and get him with his hands. "You've got some pretty smooth moves on that board of yours."

"Okay, well, if you say so..." Cleo took another deep breath and resumed the chase.

While Lobo, Vida, and Frankie went around the room to try something different out, Zoe couldn't help but keep her gaze fixated on the aerial game of tag going on before her eyes. She was waiting, watching, and hoping that Cleo's cold didn't have a major impact once it did come back. She had been standing there for so long that she had almost become a statue. In fact, Katya had noticed how motionless Zoe was and stood by her side, watching everything happening before her eyes.

"Hey, Zoe?" Katya asked, drawing away Zoe's attention for a moment. "Why are you still looking at Cleo like that? Her sniffles are all gone and she's not sneezing, so... problem solved, right?"

"I'm not sure. All I did was block her nose. But if that clip falls off, then..." Zoe watched as Cleo and Drac traded aerial tricks with each other, both tagging and fleeing from the other and from Spike. She could only watch as Drac, Cleo, and Spike started performing loops, aerial spins, and other flippy tricks. Every single time Cleo went upside down, her nose clip started to loosen up.

"C'mon..." Cleo was so determined to catch Spike or Drac with another vertical loop. So much so that she sped up her board even more. As she made the final sweep, the nose clip tumbled off of her nose. Not that she saw it. She still managed to land a hand on Drac's back with the speed she had gathered. Tag, Drac! You’re I...I..." And there it was. Cleo's sniffles started to return. "AAACHOOOO!" this next sneeze dislodged Cleo from the board, sending her and the board tumbling down to the ground at tremendous speed.

"Oh no!" Katya and Zoe called together, prompting Zoe to run forward, and Katya to hurriedly ready her wand for a spell. Zoe tried holding her hands up to try and catch Cleo as she fell, while Katya just swung her wand forward, sending forth another cloud of magic that burst into a mound of pillows around Zoe.

Cleo tumbled directly onto the pillows, cushioning her fall, but then, she tumbled over the edge into the centre, right onto Zoe's body. Both Super Monster girls fell to their backs, as the pillows collapsed on top of them, submerging them in their fluffy, white textiles and baby soft fabrics.

"Sorry, Cleo..." Zoe moaned as she took Cleo's hand, got back up with her, and used her zombie powers to walk through the pillows with Cleo. "I should have known that wouldn't work."

"It's alright, Zoe. You tried your very best. And that's all tha...ah...achoo!" Cleo sneezed one more time, sending the pillows flying outwards. The single wind blast was enough to swat Frankie, Lobo, Drac, and Spike with pillows.

"Hey? Who started a pillow fight here?" Lobo asked, taking hold of the very pillow that he had been struck with. "Not that I'm complaining. I'd be down for that."

"It's Cleo again, Lobo. She just let another sneeze go." Drac explained.

"But how? I thought that clip would've stopped all the sneezing." Frankie hobbled over and noticed that Cleo's nose was bare, unblocked, and lacking in the aforementioned nose clip. "Wait. Where'd it go?!"

"There! I see it!" Spike flapped down to where the nose clip laid and scooped it up with his claw. He came back to Cleo's side and was about to clip it on when Cleo sneezed again, causing Spike to lose his balance in the air and fall backwards onto the already-scattered pillows.

"Oh, what in the world is wrong with me?!" Cleo cried out, throwing her hands to the ground, causing a powerful swirl of wind to form at her feet. "Why can't I just. Stop. Sneezing?!" She wailed, before another sneeze came out of her body, which made the wind swirl launch her upward like a spring.

"I've got you, Cleo!" Katya swung her wand forward again, which made a bubble form around Cleo. One that drifted slowly back down to earth; popping once Cleo's feet touched the floor again.

"I think I should call your mother, Cleo. If anything, it's getting even worse." Ms. Esmie watched the state that Cleo was in. "I just hope that Igor's found what he needed to find..." She turned away from the class and approached the door. She was just about to open it when Igor came through from the other side.

"Cleo! I figured it out!" He exclaimed as he held the still-open book in one hand, approaching the class. "It all makes sense. Sneezes affecting your wind powers, lack of the heat symptoms that a common cold has, bungled up voice, it can only be one thing; A Mummy Cold." Igor held the book outward towards the Super Monsters, who all took a closer look at the details.

"A Mummy Cold?" All eight of them chorused together as they tried to read into the effects of it.

"Oh yes. It's a rather nasty cold that only affects mummies," Igor mentioned, as he sat on the balls of his feet, planting his knees on the floor. "It has the same stuffy-nose and constant sneezing properties as a common cold that humans usually get, but it also causes a mummy's wind powers to spiral out of control. Not only that, but at an older age, it can cause a mummy to start shedding its' wrapping. But, fortunately, you're still very young, Cleo, so this last part shouldn't bother you too much."

"Oh dear..." Katya looked at some of the pages of the book. "Is there any way to cure this, Igor?"

"Well, either it'll go away, or Cleo will just sneeze it out of her system. In the meantime, her powers are exceptionally strong at the moment, kiddos. I wouldn't be getting too mixed up with her right now." Igor bent down to Cleo once again, noticing just how upset she was. "Oh, I'm sorry, Cleo. It's not very nice at all."

"No, Igor. It isn't." Cleo shook her head. "I'm supposed to be able to control my powers; so that I can learn how to do great things with them as I get older. But now... all this sneezing is causing me and my friends problems. And I don't know how to stop it."

"Well, it's lucky for you that this book just so happens to contain a way to manage the symptoms of a Mummy Cold. It won't end up getting rid of them, but it will allow you to control it better." Igor explained, showing off the table of contents. "First of all, you need a bed. And luckily for you, you've got a group of wonderful friends that can help you with that, isn't that right, Super Monsters?"

The Super Monsters all clamoured and replied together, nodding and grinning as they showed their support for Cleo; even with her cold.

"While you all help Cleo settle down, I'm going to get her mother, see if there's anything that she can help with." Esmie took that as her cue to leave the Purple Room behind.

"Right, we need a bed. That's the most important thing." Vida took a look at the book one more time, depicting an illustration of a mummy in a bed. "I'll get some sturdy vines so that we can hold it together. Frankie, can you get something strong and firm?"

"On it!" Frankie gave a nod and headed off towards the room, in a bid to find something that would support Cleo. He saw a large gathering of building blocks and rubbed his hands together. "Just hang in there, Cleo. We're coming... Mega Size!" He radiated a green aura and grew in size instantaneously. In his new form, Frankie scooped up a large clump of building blocks and laid them down near the group. "Frankie-Size." He said, shrinking back down to his regular size. "Would this be enough, Vida?"

"Mmhmm! Now, let me handle the next step." Vida scampered over to the pottery corner and immediately took a hold of some vines. "Just a little bit more..." She started to glow again, elongating and hardening the vines.

"While you do that, I'll get those pillows. Fast, fast, fast!" Lobo remarked and sped around the room like a blur, grabbing the pillows, before heading back to the other Super Monsters. He was so fast that not a single naked eye could keep track of him. "There we go." By the time he had finished, he saw Vida coming back over with the vines to hold everything together.

"Alright. We've got everything. Now, let's make Cleo a nice bed." Drac grinned. "It'll be a bed fit for a princess!"

"Yeah! Our little princess!" Spike chirped. "Let's do this!"

And with that, the Super Monsters all got started with making the bed. Using the building blocks as a frame and Vida's vines to hold it all in place, the bed was coming along nicely. In terms of colours, it was very vibrant but completely unfocused. As for what happened underneath the blocks, Vida was using her magic to reinforce and coil the vines around the bottom, to make a strong mesh that would hold anything in place. Meanwhile, Cleo was being tended to by Igor; kept away from the others to make sure that her sneezes didn't interrupt the building of her bed. She did sneeze a few times and the wind did play havoc with Igor's hair and body, but he simply took it all in his stride. Cleo apologised every single time but kept on sneezing.

"Hmm... There's still something missing," said Katya as she looked at the bed. Sure, the blocks made it look sturdy enough, but it didn't look like a bed to her. "Oh, I know! A part for the end of the bed! Let me get this one." Katya held her wand to her side and readied up another spell. " _Without this piece, it's not a bed. So give us something to rest Cleo's head!_ " Katya cast the spell which hit the Super Monsters' makeshift bed. In doing so, she caused a large, purple headboard in the shape of a bat spreading its' wings at the top. A golden line ran along the edge of the new headboard. "That's perfect!"

"Yeah, it is!" Lobo grinned at the sight of the bed. "All we need now is a mattress and a blanket, and it'll look like the cosiest bed ever!" Excitedly, he let out a howl, as any werewolf would.

"I'll get the blanket!" Drac said, then he disappeared again.

"Alright. While you do that, we don't have any mattresses, but these will do just as well." Zoe hummed a tuneless ditty to herself as she laid some pillows down inside the bed that the Super Monsters had made, with one last pillow serving as the one for Cleo's head. "Okay. Cleo? It's ready for you."

"Oh, really?" Cleo took one look at the bed that the Super Monsters had made for her. She gave it a rub, to see just how strong it was. To her surprise, even though it was just made out of building blocks, Vida's vines, and a headboard that Katya made, it was quite firm. "Wow... This is really good, everyone. I can't tha-tha...aaaaaachooo!" Cleo sneezed again, blowing the bed away with a single blast.

"I got it! Mega-Size!" Franke grew once more, charging towards the airborne bed. Before it could land with a crash, he caught it in both hands, gently bringing it back to the others. "That could've been a disaster..." He exhaled, laying the bed back down again.

"Sorry about that, Frankie." Cleo shivered, climbing into the bed. She placed her back against the squishy, stacked pillows and let a sigh slip. She lowered her head onto a pillow that Spike and Vida placed together by the headboard. "Now... all that's left is—"

"One blanket, coming up!" Drac reappeared, holding a dark purple bat-pattern blanket with a light blue stripe running along the outline. "It might be a bit small, but it was made with love." He said, as he drew the blanket over Cleo's body, concealing the rest of her body. Now, only her head and her little arms could be seen poking out of the blanket.

"Thank you, everyone." Cleo meekly replied as she took a look at the group of Super Monsters again. "I don't know when this cold of mine's gonna go away, but with you all here, I know it definitely won't be boring."

"No problem, Cleo." Vida gave her another grin. "Is there anything else we can do?"

"Oh, I wouldn't mind a glass of water, actually." Cleo lifted a finger. "Can you guys do that?"

"Sure thing, Cleo! I'll be right back." Zoe headed over towards the door, phasing through it like before.

Once Zoe went away, Ms. Esmie came back in and noticed the bed straight away. "Oh my... That looks rather comfy, Cleo." She said as she wandered over to the bed. "Did you all make it just for her?"

"Uh-huh!" Lobo nodded his head.

"Now Cleo can snuggle up in bed and get rid of her cold easier!" Spike added. "And Zoe's gonna be back with some water too."

"Well, it sounds like you're all taking really good care of her." Ms. Esmie sat down by the bed, laying a hand on Cleo's belly. "I know that this isn't really good, Cleo. Having to sneeze, sniffle, and fight through a cold like this, but there's some things that can't be helped."

"Sometimes, we have to just grin and bear it." Katya came over and held Cleo's hand. "Remember when I had the Witchy-Ups?"

"How could I not?" Cleo meekly chuckled. "You couldn't stop hiccuping; no matter what we tried. And we tried a lot of things."

"Mmhmm. But Ms. Esmie told me that things like this, we can't really change it ourselves. We just have to wait for it to pass. My Witchy-ups and now, your Mummy Cold," Katya said, looking into Cleo's eyes. "But like before, when you all tried to make me feel better, we're all doing the same for you."

"No matter how icky it feels, Cleo, we're gonna make sure you're as happy and comfortable as you can be." Vida gave Cleo a pat on the head. "This'll all pass, and then you'll be back to being the Cleo that we all know and love."

"Thanks for that, Vida. I..." Cleo's nose began gearing up for yet another sneeze. She arched her head all the way up towards the ceiling and sneezed, sending out an updraft that hit the ceiling, then dissipated. "Excuse me. Does anyone have those tissues?"

"I'll go and get them!" Spike flew over the top of the bed and scooped up all of the tissues that had been left behind from when Cleo's cold had started. He brought them back and delivered them as a messy pile for Cleo. "Here you are, Cleo."

"Thanks, Spike. You're a really good friend." Cleo took one of the tissues and blew her nose as hard as she could. She blew so hard that she started to feel dizzy. It was a good thing that she was lying down on the bed, otherwise, she would have fallen over.

At last, Zoe came back, phasing through the wall again. Now, she was holding a clear glass of water in her hands. She walked as slow as possible so that she didn't end up spilling any of it anywhere. "Here you are, Cleo. I hope you like it."

"Thanks, Zoe." Cleo took the glass from Zoe's hands, sat up again, and started to drink from it. The water running down her throat was like honey in the state that she was in. It danced around her throat and crashed into her gullet nicely. She very quickly drank the whole thing dry, before giving the glass back to Zoe.

"Well, from the looks of it, you're all taking really good care of poor Cleo over there." Igor couldn't help but think the scene was adorable in his head; especially for his class. "Maybe it won't be today, maybe it won't be tomorrow, but you'll soon have that dreaded cold of yours cleared up, Cleo." And as he said that, the doors opened again, showing another, slimmer, taller mummy with black-purple hair, a yellow and blue scarf around her neck and a crown on her head that had a cobra with a ruby gemstone on its' neck. She was holding a bottle of medicine and a spoon in the same hand. "Speaking of which, I think you have a visitor."

Cleo's eyes widened when she saw the new face. "Mommy!" She replied, then sneezed again. This time, the wind rushed through her mother's body, which made her hair thrash outwards behind her. "Oh no! I'm sorry!"

"It's quite alright, Cleo. Ms. Esmie caught me up on everything." Cleo's mother came over to her side, making sure to keep her distance from the bed, so as not to catch her daughter's cold. "It's a rather nasty shock, having to get a Mummy cold like this. But don't worry, I've got just the thing to help you feel better." She opened up the medicine bottle, dunked the spoon in it, and brought it close to Cleo. "Now, this might taste a little bit disgusting, but it'll help you get rid of that cold."

"Alright, Mommy." Cleo closed her eyes and opened her mouth in preparation for the medicine. Her mother fed it to her and she gave it a swallow. Compared to the water that she had drunk earlier that Zoe had got for her, this new liquid was a lot more vile in terms of taste. It was tasteless, completely lacking in flavour, but Cleo just had to swallow it. Not only that, but it was also cold as well. At least, colder than she would have liked. Cleo ended up shivering once she swallowed the medicine, but she opened her eyes afterwards. "It's icky, but it's to help me. I just have to remember that." Cleo took a deep breath once again, pushing through the air.

"So... what did you give Cleo anyway?" Drac asked, taking a look at the medicine Cleo's mother was holding.

"It's a rather... unique medicine. I remember my own mommy giving it to me when I was Cleo's age." Cleo's mother turned to the rest of the Super Monsters, showing them the medicine. "Even to this day, I still don't know what it's made of, but I do know that it's gonna clear Cleo's cold very quickly." As soon as she finished saying it, she could hear the sound of Cleo getting ready for another sneeze. As soon as her eyes returned to Cleo, she could see Cleo's nose twitching. "Super Monsters? You'd better take cover. This one's gonna be huge!"

Everyone else ran to the other end of the Purple Room. They all made their way towards the spell corner and watched as Katya twirled her wand around, creating a small wall that was strong enough for them to hide behind, but also short enough for them to see what was going on. The seven remaining Super Monsters, as well as Igor and Ms. Esmie all watched as Cleo's mother stayed by Cleo's side. Cleo herself was a ticking time bomb as her entire body writhed and shook, ready to let out the biggest sneeze she had ever let rip.

"Ah... Ah... AAAAAHHHHH..." Cleo couldn't hold it back any longer. "ACCCCCCHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOO!" She let out a colossal sneeze; one that was so powerful that it sent a miniature hurricane rampaging through the Purple Room. Everything around the bed and the rest of the room was swept away by the wind, and even the blackboard and mirror rattled from the strength of her sneeze. Cleo stayed perfectly still on the bed while her mother fought against the winds, heading towards the door. She opened the door wide and let the wind stream out of it, then used her own wind to open up the main door leading out to the rest of Pitchfork Pines. The ferocious gale that Cleo had sneezed up was sucked out of the building and off through the skies. After which, Cleo's mother closed both sets of doors.

"There we go. How do you feel now, Cleo?" Her mother asked as she finally came back to the bed.

"I... I feel..." As Cleo spoke, she noticed something. Her nose had been completely cleared and her voice didn't sound as bungled as it did before. "I feel... much better, actually. My cold's completely gone!" She jumped out of the bed with as much energy as she could muster. "Hey, everyone! I'm cured!"

Everyone cheered for Cleo as Katya made the wall disappear. The other Super Monsters came to her side and pulled her into a large group hug, all squishing their faces against her own. Cleo couldn't help but hug them all back in response.

"Oh, I'm so happy that you're back to normal, Cleo!" Katya squeaked with a smile. "I didn't want you to be such a sniffly sneezy-pants forever."

"Yeah, Cleo. You're way better without the sneezes!" Drac added.

"And a lot happier too!" Spike chimed in as well.

"Thanks, everyone. But I couldn't have made it through these sneezes without your help." Cleo smiled as the other Super Monsters gave her some space again. "Seeing all of you spend all of your time with me when I was feeling ill, instead of going off to play, that's the kind of thing I love about you guys. And about being a Super Monster myself. I couldn't be happier to be with such a great group of kids like you..."

"Aww..." The three adults all swooned together at the sight.

"And we couldn't be happier without you, Cleo." Vida flashed another smile. "You're one of the bestest Super Monsters I think I've ever seen!"

"And one of the prettiest." Zoe added.

"And who has an awesome wind power while being able to fly on that fun-looking board too! Don't forget that!" Lobo speedily added.

"There's a lot of things we like about you, Cleo. But the best part is that now that your cold's gone away, you can finally be yourself again." Frankie was the last one to speak his mind. "And that's the best part of you."

"Aw, stop it, you guys are making me blush." Cleo chuckled as, sure enough, her cheeks did flush red.

"Well, I'm sure that you've had a lot of fun today, but all good things do come to an end..." Igor gestured up towards the skylight, where the sunlight was starting to fill the sky. A rooster's call could be heard in the distance.

The Super Monsters knew what that meant. As they all looked to the sky, they knew that their night shift had come to an end. "Sun Up!" They all spoke together as another bright cloud of purple light engulfed all eight of the kids. "Super Monsters!" The clouds burst, revealing the kids' human forms once again.

With the day at an end, everyone made their way to the doors together, with Cleo staying close to her mother. They could already see that the other class was already heading out of the front door, with Sami, Rocky, Olive, and Zane already heading to their respective parents and other family members.

Suddenly, as Cleo made her way to the bottom step, she felt something happen. Once again, she let a sneeze rip. One that everyone else could hear. They all let out a gasp and turned their gazes towards Cleo.

"What?" She asked, her voice not even remotely as stuffy as it was. "I'm fine."

"Say it, don't spray it, Cleo," said Drac, which caused all of the other kids to end up laughing as well as they made their ways out of the building and home for the day.

Cleo knew that they were only just playing a game, so she let out some tiny, polite giggles. At least now, she could sneeze in peace, knowing full well that, as a human, she wouldn't be able to blow her friends or anyone else down with a gust of windpower.


	2. Olive's Garden

It was another evening in Pitchfork Pines. The sun was still looming over the edges of the horizon, ready to dip over and plunge the village into dusk. Tonight, the New Class, consisting of Olive, Rocky, Sami, and Zane were all outside, with Ms. Mina overseeing the four of them. All of them were relatively new to the school, but that didn't intimidate them in any way, shape, or form. The four children were eager to see what was on the plan for tonight, while Ms. Mina herself was still trying to compose herself before the night ahead began.

Suddenly, something caught Olive's eye. By the edge of the playground, there was a gate leading off to a part of the school she hadn't seen before. She scampered over towards it as fast as her stumpy little legs could carry her, stood on the tips of her toes, and peered over the fence to see what looked like a garden of sorts, with well-kept rows of soil with tall plants growing out of them. "Whoa..." remarked Olive as she let the sight sink in.

"What'cha looking at, Olive?" Asked Zane as he came over to Olive's side and tried to get a closer look at what she was seeing. Sure enough, he noticed it as well. "Ooh... Is that the night garden Zoe always told me about?"

"Night garden?" Olive parroted.

"Yeah. Zoe always told me that she and her class of Super Monsters had this night garden that they loved tending to." Zane turned with a smile towards Olive. "It's a super-special garden that only grows special night-time plants."

"Ooh, I love a good garden!" Sami wandered over to Olive and Zane. Rocky wasn't far behind her. "Mom always brought me flowers from her garden and froze them with her snow powers. It made my room really pretty when I was little. Um, littler." She chuckled.

"I've never really had a garden before." Rocky nervously rubbed the back of his head. "But, if it's anything like you say it is, then I bet it'll be great!" he threw out his arms.

"It sounds like you're all really excited about the garden." Ms Mina walked over to the group of kids, hands by her sides. "And you've got every right to be. I've heard good things about this place from Igor and Ms. Esmie. About how they and the other class upstairs planted lots of plants here."

"Ooh, do you think we'll get to plant some plants of our own?" Sami asked.

"I'm sure you will, Sami. Some day. But definitely not now. At least, not while there's still some sunlight..." Ms. Mina gestured over towards the sun, which was sinking over the edge of the world, about to start another night. "Sun Down..."

"Monsters Up!" The New Class responded, as they were engulfed by a wave of purple and white light.

"Olive!" As she threw her arms over her two bunches, Olive donned the skin and pointy ears of that of a purple ogre.

"Rocky!" He leapt upwards, as his wings sprouted and his gargoyle form burst into life. His long, slender wings started to flap.

"Sami!" She threw her hands skyward and, as she transformed into her pale blue-skinned yeti form, snow started to fall around her.

"Zane!" Much like Zoe, his skin turned into a shade of blue as he took on his new form. His hair rose ever so slightly and donned bands of many colours at the ends of each clump of hair.

"Super Monsters!" The four children all called together as their new forms took centre stage; ready for the night ahead.

And as their new forms came to life, so too did the night garden just past the gate. Already, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and more were growing up from the soil, touched by the light of the moon. Many plants that you wouldn't find in your normal garden. There were flowers that stretched out as tall as a human would, yet they weren't sunflowers. There were melons that glowed a bright shade of aquamarine, and there were vegetables coated by leaves as if hiding what they really were to name a few. But it wasn't all wondrous otherworldly things that grew in this garden, for there were also some regular flowers that just sprouted and barely had a stem to their name.

"Woah..." The New Class stood in awe as they watched the night garden come to life. Wasting no time, Zane phased through the gate, opened it from the other side, and let his friends hurry inside to get a closer look at it all.

"This looks amazing!" Olive was especially entranced by all of the foods that she could see growing around. As an ogre, food was one of her kind's staples. Soft food, hard food, savoury food, sweet food, spicy food, any kind of food and Olive was all over it. And because of that, she was already moving towards the fruits and vegetables grown in the night garden. "And it's... ours?"

"Well, yes. It's yours and the other class's night garden." Ms. Mina gave a nod. "In fact, why don't you have a good look around at what there is to see?"

With no time wasted, the kids all dispersed; each one taking in their fair share of sights around the garden. Sami came to the flowers, then reached down and plucked one from the soil. Immediately, she started to use her snow powers on the flower, which became a pale shade of icy blue, became coated with small tufts of snow, and grew snowflakes. Her work done, Sami placed the flower back down where it had come from.

Rocky and Zane, on the other hand, were both having a look at the flowers and plants. To them, they were colossal. Even as Rocky tried to fly to match their height, they still stood rather tall. Much taller than him and Zane combined.

"How long do you think these things were here?" Rocky asked, as he brushed one of the flowers with his hand.

"I don't know, but Zoe always told me these things were pretty." Zane craned his neck upward to one of the flowers that curled downward from its' stem. "Maybe they were planted before Zoe and her friends came here. They look like they've been growing an awful long time..."

"Or maybe they were small to start, and Vida must have used her plant magic to make them huge!" Rocky offered another explanation. "Who needs water when you've got her around?"

"Yeah." Zane chuckled. "No wonder Zoe always likes playing with her."

Olive, now that she was all on her own, had the time to admire the foods of this night garden. She wanted ever so much to take a big, juicy bite out of them, but that would make it look less pretty. It was like her mother always told her. Good food comes to those who wait. Still, that was the problem. Olive couldn't wait. She was just a child. A child ogre who loved food. And here she was in a garden that had some variation of food. It was taking every ounce of her restraint—however little of it there was—to keep her from even thinking about eating it.

"Deep breaths, Olive. They're still here because they're growing bigger." She told herself, taking a breath in the middle of her sentence. "Besides. Ms. Mina will tell you when it's time to get them, right?"

But as Olive told herself not to eat away at the foods, it became all the more tempting. Eventually, she couldn't help herself. So she went over to one of the leaf-coated plants, pulled out a couple of them, and took refuge in a thicket of trees. One that was just small enough for someone of her size to squeeze through. Pushing past the leaves, Olive made her through the thicket, pulling back on the leaves that concealed her mystery vegetable. Sure enough, there were a pair of carrots in her hands. She took a bite out of one of them on her little adventure.

"Mmm... This is so good..." Olive muttered to herself as she crunched down on the carrots. "No wonder the Super Monsters have a night garden. It's so much fun to plant so much delicious stuff and watch it grow!" She exclaimed, to nobody in particular.

It didn't take long after finishing one carrot, that Olive came to a patch of soil surrounded by trees. It was very fresh and fertile, with a ring of flowers growing around it. Situated under a clear patch of moonlight, like a spotlight streaming down from above, it wasn't illuminated by anything or caught any other outside light.

"Ooh... where am I?" She asked, taking a step forward towards the soil. As soon as her feet touched the ring of flowers, she quickly retracted her step. "Oh! Sorry, little guys. Did I hurt you?" She asked, petting the plants. She noticed that one of them had been creased by her feet, so she tried to straighten it out. In doing so, she accidentally tore off a part of the petals. She let out a gasp. "Oh no. Oh, I'm really, really sorry now." Olive put the piece that she had torn off back by the flower she had torn it front. Once she was done apologising to the plant that she had so regretfully stepped on, she took a look at the soil. "What's growing here?" Olive asked, looking at the rather empty patch.

Olive then had the bright idea to drive her hand into the soil, to see if she could feel if there were any seeds or anything of any kind growing beneath the soil. She rummaged around, coating her hands in soil as her knees came down to the ground and squashed against the patch. Much to her surprise, however, after more than a few seconds of feeling around, there was nothing of any sort buried beneath the soil. Nothing whatsoever. Not even the freshest of seeds. It was as if this place was completely forgotten about.

"How can you be part of a garden if you don't have any seeds?" Olive asked the soil but got no reply. She was, after all, talking to an inanimate mound of soil. "I know! I'll come back with some seeds, and then you'll be an even better garden! Oh, wait! Even better! You'll be my secret garden!" Olive, grinning from ear to ear, burst back the way that she had came, back into the night garden.

Fortunately for her, nobody had noticed that she came back. And sure enough, she could see that the others were still looking around all the sights. Sami, Rocky, and Zane were all eyeing up the various other plants growing in the night garden. Olive's secret garden was her little secret. And she hoped that secret would be hers for a long time. Inconspicuously, she rejoined the group, as if she had always been there.

At last, Ms. Mina and the gang came to a large crystalline arch, where, strangely enough, in the middle of the arch, there was a completely new place. One with many caves growing large crystals of many colours, and a magenta sky. Everyone stopped and beheld the sight.

"Ms. Mina? What's this?" Rocky tilted his head to the side, trying to get his bearings on the archway before him. It wasn't like anything he had seen before.

"Look!" Zane ran around the side of the arch to see if the view continued on the other side. To his surprise, it didn't. He could, however, see a similar view on the other side of the arch. More caverns growing crystals, the same magenta sky, but it was from a different angle. "It's not the same on each side!"

"Oh! I think I know what this is!" Sami raised her hand as she got closer to the arch. She stuck her hand through the view, which caused it to ripple ever so slightly. "It's a... It's a... Oh, what's the word? Mom told me about this word when I was growing up." Sami was about to have her question asked, when she raised her hands. "N-n-no, wait. Don't tell me. It's a... Oh! I just remembered! It's a magic window!"

"Not exactly, but you're not far off, Sami." Ms. Mina walked over to the archway herself, getting a closer look at the world beyond. "Igor and Ms. Esmie told me about this too. One night, their class of Super Monsters got their hands on an exceptionally rare seed called the 'Impossible Seed'. It was a long and complicated process, especially specific as well, but they all pulled together and turned the Impossible Seed into, well, that." She tipped her hand to the portal.

"But it grew into something amazing!" Olive was peering through the portal to the world beyond. "Where does it go, anyway?"

"I think it leads to somewhere called Crystal Caverns." Ms. Mina replied. "A little bit on the nose, I know. But still, it doesn't look like it's going anywhere. Maybe some other day we can all check it out together..."

"Why can't we go and check it out now?" Sami asked, still mesmerised by the many colours on the other side of the gateway. "It looks awfully pretty over there."

"I know it does, but I'd rather not take you to parts you don't know without your parents knowing about it." Ms. Mina turned back to Sami, pulling herself away from the sight of Crystal Caverns. She reached down and tousled Sami's white hair. "I mean, imagine how worried they'd all be to realise that their children are on a completely different part of the world..."

"Besides, we can still play here in the night garden!" Olive blurted out, drawing everyone's eyes to her. "I mean, something as big as that isn't going to disappear just like that. Not unless Frankie or someone else big and strong takes it away." She pointed toward the arch around the portal.

"Well, the food isn't exactly ready to harvest yet, but I do know something else that we can do with the garden." Ms. Mina took a look at all of the plots around the garden. "Seeing as how the Super Monsters upstairs have already done so much to make this place special, I figured that maybe it was our turn to make some changes."

"Our turn?" The four kids spoke together.

"I just need to head back inside to find some seeds. Once I get back, why don't we try planting some plants of our own?" She asked, unfurling a pair of large, rainbow-coloured wings. "In the meantime, everyone stay close. I don't want any of you getting lost, alright?"

"We'll be fine, Ms. Mina," said Rocky. "Besides, there's still a lotta plants left, right?"

"Yeah! I'm sure we can find something else exciting around here." Zane was already surveying the area with his eyes; eyes that sparkled. This was a trait that he had gotten from his family; the ability to see through, phase through and grab things through objects. "Like... Oh! What about that?"

"What is it?" Sami asked, trying to see what Zane could see, only for her view to be obstructed by a pair of trees.

"C'mon! I'll show you!" Zane lead the way, speeding off towards what he saw. He guided the new class down the path and, where he phased through the trees, the others traversed through them. Once they were out of sight, Ms. Mina flew back towards the school.

As Olive wandered through the night garden, she was still thinking about the special garden that she had found of her own accord. Having heard that Ms. Mina was going to bring them back some seeds to plant, that immediately made her think about all the wonderful things that could grow in her own garden. Perhaps some juicy fruits like the glowing melons that she had seen earlier? Or maybe something similar to the vegetables that she'd been sampling. Or maybe, she was going to plant something else entirely, something that her tiny mind could only dream of. But still, half of the time, when she was seeing such exuberant sights in the night garden already, it was hard to distinguish her imagination from what was reality.

"So, why do plants grow out of the ground anyway?" Rocky decided to put forward the question.

"Well... I think it has something to do with the seeds." Sami was the first to reply. "It's like... uh..." She tapped the ground with her shoe, trying to find an answer. Then, her eyes hit Olive's. "Oh! It's like popcorn!"

"Popcorn?" Olive parroted. "So... we just put them in the microwave and then we get seeds?"

"No. It's not like that at all." Sami chuckled to herself. "Think about it. When you and your family eat popcorn, you put it in something nice and warm. And then the seeds go pop, pop, pop, don't they?" With the idea of how it worked starting to come to her, Sami started to explain. "Well, seeds go into the ground, which is nice and warm too. At least, it's warm for seeds. So, when it goes pop, pop, pop, you can't really hear it and it takes longer to make. But it pops much longer than popcorn does, and when it's ready, it'll burst out of the ground and grow high into the sky!" She threw her arms skyward.

"Oh! Now I get it!" Olive explained. "It's quiet popcorn!"

"Yep!" Sami nodded. "Just like that."

"Oh, I can't wait to see what kind of seeds go pop under all that dirt!" Rocky's skin turned yellow with glee; one of the traits of his gargoyle kind. "Ya think Uncle Doyle and all our other moms and dads would like it too?"

"I'm certain they will!" Zane chirped. "Especially when we all make it look really nice for them."

"I bet it'll look really, really pretty..." As Olive said that, she was brainstorming ideas for her own garden. Away from the prying eyes of her friends, classmates, and even Ms. Mina. "It'll be the prettiest garden ever. I wonder when Ms. Mina will get back? I wanna plants those seeds as fast as I can!"

And just as Olive finished talking, Ms. Mina came soaring back to the new class, packets of seeds nestled in her hands as she landed gracefully in front of them.

"I'm back!" Ms. Mina replied as she knelt down and showed off the many seed packets to Olive, Rocky, Sami, and Zane. "And I've got a lot of seeds for you to have a go with. Everything from honeysucklers to snapdragons, and—I think you'll like this one, Sami—Snow Peas!"

"Snow Peas?" Sami's eyes lit up as she immediately gravitated towards the packet of snow pea seeds.

"Oh yes. In fact, Igor picked those out especially for you, Sami, seeing as how they grow the best once they're frozen over by a yeti's snow magic." Ms. Mina handed Sami the packet of snow pea seeds.

"My mother makes Snow Peas all the time. They're really yummy!" Sami quickly took the packet out of Ms. Mina's hands "These'll look really good in the night garden, Ms. Mina! Thank you!"

"You're quite welcome, Sami." Ms. Mina chuckled. "Now, what about you, Olive, Rocky, Zane? What do you think would look good in the garden?" She asked, showing the other three Super Monsters the rest of the packets.

"What's that one?" Rocky asked as his hand darted towards a packet of some seeds labelled 'Starflower'. "I don't know what a Starflower is, but I think it'd look really good here."

"Especially if it's a night garden. Anything about the moon and the stars in the sky would make this place really sparkly, Rocky," Zane added as he went for some packets of his own. "These too. Moonberry seeds. I've heard those are delicious once they ripen!"

"They do have a very sweet and juicy texture. No wonder the forest nearby grows them in droves." Ms. Mina watched as Zane picked out some seeds by phasing his hand through the packet.

"Mom told me that Zoe once got lost because she and Frankie saw lots and lots of Moonberries once when they all went to the forest together." Zane blurted out, completely unaware of how that might have sounded. "It's good that she came home, though. I would've been very sad if she hadn't come back."

"Well, now you don't have to worry about that anymore, right, Zane?" Rocky laid a hand on his shoulder. "When Moonberries grow here, then Zoe and Frankie won't need to go looking for them in the forest anymore."

"I hope so. Zoe did say that they were the tastiest berries she'd had in a long time..." Zane took one look at the seed in his hand, then, instinct overtaking him, he stuffed it down into the nearest patch of soil that he could. "Soon, you'll grow big and strong, little guy."

"Looks like you're already off to a good start, Zane," replied Ms. Mina as he watched Zane take out some more Moonberry seeds and plant them in lines in the vacant plot of soil. She then turned to Olive, who was still trying to find something that tickled her fancy. "What about you, Olive? What do you think would look good?"

"I dunno... There's just so many things to choose from." Olive wasn't thinking about the night garden, and rather about her secret garden. If she could only plant one seed, then she had to make sure that it was a very special seed to her. And so far, all of the seeds were hard to choose from. If she had the opportunity, she could plant them all, but as far as she was aware, she didn't have that luxury. She didn't want to be greedy. "Only one... I need to make this garden the best." Moaning to herself as she flipped back and forth, eventually she let out a gasp of air and closed her eyes, reaching out for the first packet that she could grab. Once her eyes opened again, she saw the results of her grab. "What's this?"

"Oh, good choice. A Twinkle Vine seed. It takes a while to grow, but with the right light, a lot of water, and the perfect place, it'll grow rather nicely." Ms Mina took a look at the packet. "Not to mention, they're rather popular with fire dragonflies."

"Fire dragonflies?" Olive blinked.

"They're awfully pretty; especially at night. Together, with a fully-grown Twinkle Vine, it'll make any garden look magical; no matter how big or small it is." Ms. Mina gave Olive a wink and a grin. "You should place this somewhere really special, Olive."

"I will!" And she hurried away with the Twinkle Vine seeds back through the night garden towards the passage that she had stumbled through to find her secret garden. Once again, Olive found herself fighting through the branches and the leaves to get to the soil dotted by a ring of flowers; one of which was still torn up.

"A Twinkle Vine growing here will make this garden the best. I just hope that I can grow it big and strong." Olive waddled onto the soil patch, got down onto her knees, and put the packet down. She pulled the soil apart and made a hole, then Olive opened up the packet and picked a seed out; one that was peach-coloured. Olive plopped the seed into the hole, then used both of her hands to bury the seed underneath the soil. She then patted down the soil as gently as she could, then got back onto her feet. "There we go. My secret garden's going to be wonderful, I know it will."

Then, she heard a rustling noise and looked behind her; sure that her secret had been exposed. Luckily for her, nothing came through the thicket to see her. Olive let out a sigh of relief as she got back up to her feet. She hopped out of the ring of flowers and peered out towards the entrance to her garden.

"Oh, I don't want anyone to see this garden. Then they'll come back again and again. Then it won't be my little secret anymore. And I like my secret garden..." Olive knew that secrets were fun things to have, but she didn't want her secret to get revealed. She wanted to keep the garden all to herself; seeing as how she was the one who found it. "I can't tell anyone; not even if they ask really nicely about it. It's a special place for me, and I don't want it to not be special."

Olive returned to her lonely vigil, watching over the seed that she had planted. She watched and waited, holding her hands together, waiting for something to grow. Seconds passed by and nothing seemed to grow. Olive started to get a little bit worried. The lack of change wasn't a very appealing sight. Was there something that she was missing? Surely, Sami must have forgotten about something.

"Oh, what else do I need to do to make you grow big?" Olive asked the soil. Once again, she got no replies back. A floppy frown fell on her face as she pouted at the plot. She then sighed. "Maybe I need to talk to Sami and the others again. They might know what to do. But I can't tell them about the garden..." Despite her qualms, she went back to the night garden.

When Olive made it back to the night garden, she could see the other three Super Monsters in the new class busy planting the seeds around. She could see Zane using his powers. With a wave of his fingers, he lifted the seeds with his powers, made them drift over the soil, and then had them shift through the ground without disturbing the dirt. Olive could also see Rocky trying to find the best place to place his seeds, using his wings to flap around and get the best vantage point. When no good spots came to him, he flushed a shade of red and threw a scattering of seeds away, with them darting into the ground and landing rather neatly nestled between other plants. He then turned blue; seemingly guilty of what he had done and went to collect the mess that he had made.

"Alright, Olive. Just stay calm. Tell Sami how plants grow, but don't tell her about the secret garden." Olive told herself as she walked over to Sami, who was taking the Snow Pea seeds out of the packet one at a time. She was then using her snow magic to coat the seeds in a layer of pink snow, then buried them under the soil, patting it down gently. The process went on for a couple more seeds until Olive came to her side. "Hey, Sami?"

"Oh?" Sami heard the noise and turned to face her. "What is it, Olive?"

"Do plants just need to be put under the soil to grow? Or is there something else I need to do?" She asked.

"Well, seeds _do_ grow because of the soil they're in, but that's not all they need." Sami put down the packet of Snow Peas. "I think Ms. Mina will be bringing it out once we're finished, but we also need water to make these plants grow big and healthy."

"Water?" Olive tilted her head. "How much? A glass?"

"No." Sami shook her head.

"Two glasses?" Olive guessed again.

"I don't think we need that much water, Olive." Sami just gave Olive a grin.

"A glass and a half?" Olive shrugged.

"No, silly. We just need a watering can!" Sami just giggled. "Y'know? Like those ones over there! The ones that Ms. Mina's got!"

"Oh. Okay. I haven't used a watering can before, Sami. Is it easy?" Olive asked with a tip of her hand.

"Yep. Ms. Mina fills them up, and we just tip them over the plants we want to water." Sami explained as both girls watched the cans get filled up with water. "It's easy, really."

Olive didn't want to waste any time and sped on over to Ms. Mina as fast as her feet could carry her. She stopped mere inches away from Ms. Mina, skidding on her feet as she stopped running. Her arms made circles and she fell over onto her face, but she just brushed it off and stood back up as if it was nothing.

"Ooh... Careful there, Olive." Ms. Mina noticed Olive's little fall and freed up both of her hands from the cans. "Are you alright?"

"Mmhmm!" Olive nodded her head vigorously. "Sami told me that water can help our plants grow really big! So... can I use one of those cans now?"

"Raring to go, aren't you? Planted those Twinkle Vine seeds?" Ms. Mina asked with a smile.

"That's right!" Olive beamed, trying to keep details about where she had planted those seeds a secret.

"Well, then I'd better not keep you waiting." She handed Olive a small, pink watering can full of water. To Ms. Mina, it didn't seem that strong, but for Olive, it was a rather hefty can. She had to use both hands to keep it from pouring water already.

"Thanks, Ms. Mina!" Olive gave her another ear-to-ear grin before she sped off towards the entrance to her secret garden.

She rushed by the other Super Monsters, completely unaware that they had taken notice of how fast she was running and what she was carrying with her. A part of them knew that they had to follow her to see what was up, but they also knew that, if she had a watering can, that could only mean that they needed to get theirs to tend to their own plants. Olive, on the other hand, hadn't been paying attention. Sami, Rocky, and Zane's backs were turned as she pierced through the leafy entrance to her secret garden for the third time that night.

Olive waddled through the undergrowth, humming to herself quietly, the watering can's water sloshing inside as she made her way. It didn't take her long to return to the scene of her greatest creation. In fact, the seed packet she had taken into the area was still there, with some Twinkle Vine seeds still to be planted. Since she had only really planted one, it didn't seem fair to let it grow alone. So, she decided to put down the watering can and put some more seeds into the ground. Like before, she made big holes and dropped them in, before folding the holes back up and patting down the soil.

"There. Perfect!" Olive threw her arms out. "This Twinkle Vine patch is gonna be the talk of Pitchfork Pines. And I'm the only one who's gonna know." She made a whispered giggle to herself as she stepped back over the flower ring back to her watering can. She scooped it up, went over the ring of flowers again, then tipped the end up. And as she did, thin streams of water trickled out of the holes. Ones that she daintily wiggled over the soil where she had planted her seeds. It didn't take long for the soil to become moist and soggy. Olive had to make sure that she didn't end up getting messy from the wet soil, so she tried her very best to stretch forward. It was an awkward way to stretch, but she was still making the best of what she had. "Drink up, little guys..." Olive hopped off of the soil and took one last look back at her work.

Pleased with herself, Olive picked up the near-empty watering can and went back to the entrance of her secret garden. Humming again, she burst through the shrubs. But this time, someone had seen her. Rocky and Sami had both seen her come out and were curious. She was just about to make her way back to Ms. Mina to see if she could help with some other part of the garden, but before she could even think about moving forward, she was stopped.

"Olive?" Rocky was the first one of the two to speak, taking a few steps forward. "What were you doing in the trees?"

"Yeah, Olive. We're not playing hide-and-seek. We're helping with the night garden." Sami added as she walked with Rocky. "If you want to play hide-and-seek afterwards, we totally can."

Olive's eyes shrunk to pinpricks. Suddenly, she wasn't feeling so chipper anymore. Was her secret blown? "R-Rocky! S-Sami! I... uh..." She was trying to find the words to explain why she was even under the trees in the first place. "I was... uh..."

"Why were you in there, Olive?" Rocky asked, coming ever so closer to where she had come out of.

 _C'mon, Olive... Make something up! Anything!_ She screamed internally to herself. "I... saw Drac's winggoats messing around here! Y'know, Bubble and Trouble? Y-yeah. That's it." She chuckled weakly to herself. "They tried to make off with my Twinkle Vine seeds and the watering can, so I decided to chase them. But, well, uh... they got very playful."

"I don't see them anywhere..." Rocky tried looking through the grass.

"And I don't hear them at all." Sami had a hand to her ears, trying to hear the bleating noises of Bubble or Trouble. When no winggoat noises came, she tried to see them with her own eyes.

"Oh, you just missed them. They just disappeared," Olive continued to lie. "They come and go _really fast._ "

"Oh. Okay then." Sami knew from experience just how rambunctious Bubble and Trouble could be. "Well, I'm glad that you chased them off. It'd be a real mess if they played around with the seeds."

"You can say that again." Rocky joked.

"It'd be a real mess if they played around with the seeds," Sami repeated, following it up with a little giggle. "Anyway, I'm sure that you planted your plants in a really, REALLY special place, Olive."

"I did." Olive nodded. At least now, they were starting to divulge away from her secret garden. "And I gave them lots of water so that they grow up super huge!" Her arms stretched outward to accent how large she meant.

"Can't wait to see them, then!" Rocky went yellow with joy once more. "You gotta show us your plants, Olive. Please?"

"Well, uh... I-I-I mean—"

"Alright, everyone!" Ms. Mina called all four of the Super Monsters over from afar just before Olive was about to respond. "Come on back, now!"

 _Phew... Saved by Ms. Mina._ Olive wiped her forehead and let another sigh of relief slip as Rocky and Sami hurried over. She gave chase to the other two and regrouped at Ms. Mina with Zane rejoining the pack shortly afterwards.

"So, how did it feel planting your seeds in the night garden?" Ms. Mina asked, squatting down to the Super Monsters' height. "Was it a lot of fun? Did it feel like you left your mark?"

"Definitely!" Zane was the first one to speak out of the group. "The Moonberries I planted are gonna be the most delicious Moonberries ever! Zoe and the others are gonna love them!" He tossed his arms upwards.

"And my Snow Peas are gonna be really sweet too! My snow powers made sure of that!" Sami added.

"Don't forget those Starflowers. They're gonna look really nice once they grow up." Rocky pointed one of his fingers upward.

"And my Twinkle Vines are gonna be really big and really pretty too!" Olive remarked. "They'll make the garden look like the best thing ever!" Little did anyone else in earshot of her know that it wasn't the night garden she was talking about, but rather her own.

"Well, I can't wait to see them then. In fact, why don't we go and have a look at where you've all put your seeds right now?" Ms Mina asked, to which a chorus of cheers resounded from Sami, Rocky, and Zane. Olive, on the other hand, wasn't so keen. She knew that if any of the Super Monsters or Ms. Mina found her secret garden, then it wouldn't be her secret garden anymore. And the seeds that she had planted wouldn't be so special anymore.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Can I go first?" Rocky asked, zipping into the air and wiggling his arm around. "I wanna show my Starflower patch first!"

"Absolutely, Rocky! You lead the way and we'll follow after." Ms. Mina gave him a grin, and Rocky started flapping his way off to where he had planted his flowers.

Olive started to walk with the other Super Monsters and Ms. Mina, but every single step that she was taking brought her closer to her secret being unveiled. She needed to do everything that she could to keep everyone away from her secret garden. But what could she do? And how would she be able to draw everyone away from her garden?

"This looks like a really nice spot, Rocky." Sami mentioned as Rocky finally stopped, showing the group where he had planted his Starflowers. "There's lots of moonlight and there's plenty of room for each Starflower to grow nice and tall."

"I agree. Starflowers grow the best when the moonlight goes straight down onto it." Ms. Mina walked over to the soil, laying her hand down on the patch, which was still slightly damp from when Rocky had watered it. "I wonder what everyone else'll think of your little addition to the night garden."

"Yeah... Me too." Olive was starting to get desperate. She needed to make a move.

"Well, why don't we check out my Moonberries next?" Zane spoke up. "I planted them somewhere really nice!" And he sped off to his little grove.

It didn't take the group long to follow Zane over to where he had done his work with the seeds. And once they all arrived at the patch, Zane used his eyes to see through the soil where he had laid the seeds. He could see that his Moonberry seeds were neatly nestled underneath the ground.

"There!" He pointed them out. "They're gonna grow really nicely!"

"And I'm sure that they'll taste just as good too. Not just as food, but for a bunch of other things." Ms. Mina looked to where Zane was peering into. All she could see was the soil, but Zane could see the plants clearly. "Moonberry juice, Moonberry pies, Moonberry facials, there's a lot of things you can do with them. But only when they're ripe enough to eat."

"Moonberries sure sound like they can do lots and lots of things, right?" Rocky asked Sami, turning to face her. "I just wanna see if I can eat one right now, just to see what it's like!"

"I know, Rocky. Me too. But we have to wait for them to grow first. There's no rushing plants." Sami lifted a finger.

Olive took the time while the other two were talking to sneak back to her secret garden. She started taking some branches, leaves, and other things littered around the ground and tried her best to conceal the entrance; to make it seem like there was absolutely no way through. She didn't want any peeps to be risked. Once she plugged up the wall enough, she went back to her class again.

"Now, Sami? Would you like to show off your Snow Pea patch?" Ms. Mina laid a hand on Sami's shoulder. "I'm ever so curious to see what you've done with them, seeing as how we could only really plant them with your snow magic."

"Oh, absolutely." She gave a nod. "Come on now, everyone. Follow me." Sami stretched her arm over her head and travelled towards her Snow Pea patch. The Super Monsters all gathered around her patch. Curiously, this part of the garden had been topped with snow; the special kind of pink snow that only Sami could make. "I thought about how Snow Peas get their name, so I covered my patch with snow. It's like another blanket on top of their blanket."

"Aww... Well, it's rather cute. But there's really no need for it, Sami." Ms. Mina tousled Sami's hair. "From what I heard from Igor, Snow Peas just need to be snowy on the seed part; not anywhere else. But, I can appreciate the little details. And this certainly is a little detail."

"Well, I think it really makes your patch extra special, Sami. Snow Peas growing under snow." Zane laid his hand on the snow, leaving a tiny little handprint mark. "I bet they're gonna taste really delicious once they grow out of the ground."

"I hope they do too. My mom always makes some of the best Snow Peas in the family, so I thought that it was my turn to make some yummy Snow Peas for her." Sami held her hands together. "Oh, and you're all more than welcome to try some out yourselves. That is, once they're ready to be picked."

Olive couldn't even appreciate the fact that it was a food that Sami was growing. After all, her plants were going to be coming up next, and she still didn't want anyone to know. But she couldn't just say nothing about it either. One way or another, Ms. Mina and the others were going to turn their focus to her. She was just breathing over and over again, trying to stay calm.

"Hey, Olive? What about your plants?" Rocky finally said it; turning the focus to her and her exploits. "Where'd you plant them?"

"M-Me?" Olive nervously pointed to herself. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

"You definitely had some seeds on you. And you got your watering can first, so you must have done _something_." Sami explained, as her eyes turned to Olive's. "Come on, Olive. I'm sure that they'll look really nice."

"Y-yeah I did. B-b-b-b-but..." Olive knew that there was going to be no way out of this. Sure enough, her secret had been rumbled.

"Hey, hey. It's alright to feel nervous, Olive." Ms. Mina came over and patted Olive gently on the shoulder. "It's not exactly easy, having to share what you've done so quickly. It could have gone bad, it could be messy, or it could even be something you didn't want. But no matter what, it's yours. And it's going to stay yours."

"But it won't be my little secret anymore, Ms. Mina. And I love my little secret too much to tell anyone about it." Olive sighed, slumping her arms downward. The truth had been laid out.

"Your little secret?" Rocky blinked at Olive's explanation. "What are you talking about, Olive?"

"My secret garden. My special garden. If I told you about it, then it wouldn't be secret or special anymore." Olive looked up and stared into Rocky, Sami, and Zane's eyes. "I didn't want anyone else to know about my secret garden because I liked having that secret all to myself. The most special place in the whole night garden..."

"Olive..." Sami felt really bad for her. She now knew exactly why Olive had burst out of the trees the way that she did. It wasn't to chase down Bubble and Trouble. It was to cover her tracks.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I really am." Olive sat down and folded her legs. "I thought that if you didn't know about my garden, then it would still be my little secret. And my super-special garden. But now, you all know, and it's not gonna be secret anymore. Or special."

"What are you talking about?" Ms. Mina asked, raising her shoulders. "It's still going to be your garden if you love it so much, Olive."

"Wh-what?" Olive asked, tilting her head up to look to Ms. Mina's face.

"Olive, if you loved your secret garden so much, then there's no way it'll not be your special place when someone finds it." Ms. Mina helped Olive stand back up again. "Even if it's not a secret anymore, if you love it so much that it makes you feel happy, then it's still your special garden. Something can still be important to you, even if you're not the only one who knows about it."

"Yeah, Olive. You've got your favourite spot in the night garden, and we've all got ours." Sami put her arms around Rocky and Zane's shoulders. "Even if everyone knows about it, we still think our places are special. And so should you."

"If you're growing something really, really good in your garden, then that just makes it extra-extra-extra special!" Zane remarked.

"And if it makes you happy, Olive, then it's still gonna be your special place no matter who comes by or talks about it," Rocky finished.

"Everyone... I..." Olive was truly touched by the words of her fellow classmates. A tear rolled down her cheek and she gave a hearty smile. She dashed off towards the entrance that she had blocked up and started to tear away the leaves and branches. It was an easy feat for Olive to manage with her strength. One by one, she ripped the low-hanging branches off of the trees and bushes they came from and dropped them to the side, dotting the way for the others. She, Rocky, Sami, and Zane all walked through the undergrowth while Ms. Mina had to duck under in order to avoid getting a face full of foliage.

At last, everyone arrived at Olive's garden. Straight away, they saw the flower ring around the soil, the watering can that she had been using to moisten up the soil, and the seed packet with some Twinkle Vine seeds still inside. The way that it looked was enough to draw some noises of awe from the other three kids.

"This is your garden, Olive?" Zane asked, looking into the soil with his zombie eyes. He could see the Twinkle Vine seeds glowing softly underneath the ground.

"Mmhmm. Nothing's growing yet. I wanted to at least have something growing when you found out." Olive groaned a little as she saw the still-barren ground before her.

But it wasn't barren for long, as at last, a small pool of light could be seen in the middle of it. A small pool that was joined by similar small pools of light. One by one, the Twinkle Vines burst out of the ground, grew taller and taller, coiling around and around each other, showing off a variety of colours. There were shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, pink, brown, chartreuse, it was a cascade of colours in the form of an ever-growing vine stalk. And as the Twinkle Vines grow, they started to bloom. Flowers could be seen growing off of it, and nestled deep within the colourful foliage, there were some fruits that were just starting to grow.

"Whoa..." Everyone spoke together as they watched the Twinkle Vines come to fruition, illuminating the otherwise dark corner of the night garden.

"This is amazing!" Rocky couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"So many colours... it's as pretty as one of my big sis's pictures!" Zane exclaimed as he was bathed in the light of the colours of the Twinkle Vine plants.

"Olive! This is the bestest best plant I think we've seen all night!" Sami squealed as she held Olive's hand tightly. "You should be really, really proud of yourself!"

"Well, I..." Olive just blushed at each cheek as she got a better look at the literal fruits of her labour. "Thanks, everyone. For understanding and letting me keep my secret garden a special place."

"You're welcome, Olive. I'm sure that we're always welcome back to the garden whenever we want, right?" Ms. Mina asked.

"For sure!" Olive's eyes lit up. "Oh, but don't tell the other Super Monsters about this. I want them to discover it all for themselves someday. It wouldn't be as big of a surprise if we just told them all about it, right?"

"Of course, Olive. Our lips are sealed." And just to show it, she made a hand gesture where she zipped up her mouth by pinching the edge of her lips and running her fingers along the rest of her mouth like a zipper on a coat. Olive just laughed at Ms. Mina's hand gesture.

"Hey. There's still some Twinkle Vine seeds left!" Sami had noticed the packet was still carrying some seeds. "Olive? Can we plant these seeds too?"

"Sure!" Olive gave a nod. "Let's share this with the rest of the plants around the night garden! Make it look even better than ever!"

Some cheers resounded from the class as they took the seeds and headed on out to get started with sprucing up the night garden. Olive wasn't far behind with the watering can, leaving Ms. Mina behind for a few more seconds to stare at the plant. It was like nothing she had ever seen before, and she had seen a lot of things. Whether it was here in Pitchfork Pines or wherever else she had come from, it was a amrvel seeing what Olive had created. This was one of those views that she wouldn't forget for a long, long time.

"Hey, Ms. Mina? Do you wanna help us plant these seeds too?" Olive called from afar.

"O-oh! Coming!" Ms. Mina turned herself away from the sight. She knew that she could always come back to it another night. Darting out of the undergrowth, she returned to the rest of the night garden.

For the rest of the night, the Super Monsters in the new class were all hard at work. Each of them were planting Olive's Twinkle Vine seeds all around the garden. Around their patches and by the other growing vegetation in the garden. The process was always the same. Hole, seed, cover, water. Hole, seed, cover, water. At least, it was for everyone apart from Zane, who was simply stuffing them into the ground and then watering. Each of them planted in their own way, using their own powers to do so. Olive herself was having the most joy laying the seeds around the night garden, popping at least one down in each of her friends' special places. First, she dropped one off in Zane's Moonberry patch, then another by Rocky's Starflowers, and then another one in Sami's snowy Snow Pea bed. She may not have had her little secret anymore, but she didn't need her little secret; not when it was much more fun to share her bounty with the others around her.

At long last, they had used up the last of the Twinkle Vine seeds and now, it was simply a matter of waiting. They all stood together, looking over their night garden proudly.

"Y'know, I think I'm really gonna love this place." Sami was the first one to voice her thoughts on the night garden. "So many lovely flowers and yummy food grows here, and now we're making extra special for us and the other class."

"I can't wait to see all those other Twinkle Vines grow some other day and really make this garden come to life." Rocky clapped his hands hard and gripped them tight. "What about you, Olive? Did you have fun planting them."

"I sure did! And it was even more fun to know that I got to do it all with my new friends." Olive held her arms out for a hug; one that the other three Super Monsters came into very quickly. "Thank you, everyone, for a wonderful night in the night garden!"

"Thank you for showing us that amazing Twinkle Vine plant in your secret garden, Olive. It really made this place feel even more special," Zane replied.

"Oh, how I wish moments like these could last forever." Ms. Mina swooned at the sight of her class enjoying each other's company. "But, all good things do come to an end, eventually." She pointed over to the distance, where the sun was just breaching over the horizon, bathing Pitchfork Pines in the early morning light once again.

The four children noticed the light and broke off of their hug, turning to face the sun. "sun Up!" They all spoke together, as once again, a purple cloud took them all and reverted them back to their human forms. "Super Monsters!" They all declared; their night over.

"Maybe next time, we'll see those Twinkle Vines growing all around the night garden..." Rocky replied, taking one last look at the garden as the morning light reverted it back to a standard garden.

"Yeah. Maybe next time." Olive crossed her arms and smiled one last time. "See you soon, Twinkle Vine seeds!" She waved the plants goodbye.

And as she waved the plants goodbye, the other kids in her class did, before at last, all four of them turned away and made their way back towards the school. Rocky, Olive, Sami, and Zane all knew that it wouldn't be their last night in the night garden; not by a long shot...


	3. A Beach Too Far

The sun was just about to fall over the horizon once again, as the Super Monsters were all gathered on the curb of the cul de sac. Tonight was a little different, however, as this time, all of them were wearing their bags. Bags of many shapes, sizes, and colours. Tonight, both classes were together, and already, they were abuzz with excitement. Igor, Ms. Esmie, and Ms. Mina were all standing together as their twelve pupils were chatting to each other.

"I can't believe that we're actually going to the beach tonight!" Cleo was beaming from ear to ear.

"I know, Cleo. I don't think I've been to the beach in ages!" Katya added. If she had gone to the beach before with her mom, the memories had all but disappeared from her memory.

"Hey, Zoe? Do you think we can make sandcastles tonight?" Zane asked, staring into Zoe's eyes. "And not just the tiny ones over in the sandbox, but really, REALLY big ones?" He stretched his arms out wide.

"Oh, I'm sure that we will, Zane." Zoe tousled Zane's hair. "We'll make the best sandcastle in the whole wide world!"

"The beach isn't all sand and sea, you know." Sami lifted a finger.

"Yeah! There's lots and lots of places at the beach where you can get something tasty!" Olive blurted out, throwing her arms to the side. "Ice cream, cotton candy, and don't forget sandwiches!"

"And when you run on the sand, you leave tiny little footprints behind! I wanna see how many footprints I can make as fast as I can!" Lobo was practically bouncing on the spot in anticipation.

"There's also seashells that get washed up too, right?" Rocky asked. "I wanna see if I can bring back a nice shell for Uncle Doyle."

"Not just seashells, but there's also seaweed." Vida chimed in. "It's a really slimy bit of grass that you can only find in the water."

"Hey, Drac? What do you like about the beach?" Spike asked, turning his gaze towards Drac.

"Wh-me?" Drac was caught off-guard, and very slightly lurched backwards on the spot. Truth be told, he hadn't really had much experience with the beach. And even then, he could fly. So unless he counted all the general stuff he did in the air with his friends, nothing special about the beach came to mind. "Well, uh..."

"I'm sure you'll find something about the beach to love, Drac." Frankie came to his side and gave him a pat on his shoulder, trying to console him. "Just give it some time."

"Y-yeah, Frankie. I guess..." Drac let another sigh slip. "Well, when you can fly about everywhere, there's not really much of a reason to keep your feet on the ground. All the things that you guys are talking about, it's all land-based. I don't wanna seem like the odd one out here."

"Oh, I don't think you're the odd one out, Drac," said Ms. Esmie, noticing the moment. "There's always going to be something that you'll like; no matter where you are."

"Oh, quite. It doesn't matter where you are or what you do, so long as you're happy when you do it." Igor pitched in with his ever-wise words.

"Mmhmm. And I know for a fact that you're all gonna love this next part..." Ms. Mina gestured over to the sun, which was now mere inches away from vanishing over the horizon once again, ready for another night.

"Sun Down..." All three of the teachers spoke together, as the kids all turned their focus towards the now-sinking sun.

"Monsters Up!" The children all replied in response once again, before they were once more enveloped in another burst of light. As before, their bodies shifted and their colours changed, along with other aspects like their hair and some of their clothes, but they were still the same souls underneath. One by one, they sounded themselves off as their new forms burst to life once more.

_"Drac!"_

_"Katya!"_

_"Lobo!"_

_"Frankie!"_

_"Zoe!"_

_"Cleo!"_

_"Spike!"_

_"Vida!"_

_"Olive!"_

_"Rocky!"_

_"Sami!"_

_"Zane!"_

"Super Monsters!" They all hollered together as a group of twelve, ready to take on the night and enjoy their time on the beach. It wasn't long after they finished their group call that they heard a familiar noise. The melodic horn of a familiar bus. With his large ears on the roof and his eyes in the headlights, it was none other than Grrbus; the Super Monsters' sentient school bus. He was moving forward without any driver; but that would soon change, as he drove all the way up to the curb and opened his doors wide.

"Well, no time like the present." Ms. Mina was the first one to climb aboard.

"Oh, this is gonna be great!" Zane hopped onto the steps with Zoe closely behind him. "I can't wait, I can't wait!"

"We'll get there in no time." Cleo calmly clambered aboard Grrbus, knowing full well what he was capable of.

The Super Monsters and their teachers wasted no time in getting onto Grrbus. And very quickly, they all took their places on the seats. Ms. Esmie and Ms. Mina sat together, while Igor took his place in the driver's seat. The Super Monsters sat in pairs, filling out the other rows. With Frankie and Rocky sitting together, Zane and Zoe on another spot, Sami and Spike on a third spot, Olive and Cleo on a fourth row, Lobo and Vida on a fifth row, and Drac was sat next to Katya.

"Alright then. Off to the beach!" Igor gripped the controls and put his foot down on the gas pedal, while also pulling on a lever to his side.

"Grrbus ready!" said Grrbus as a portion of his top shifted to reveal a pair of long, slender, metallic wings. Then, all of a sudden, his wheels left the ground and his wings started flapping. "Grrbus zoom!" and just like that, off he went, darting through the air; despite his rather rigid body and metal framework. Grrbus flew through the air like it was nothing; already breaching the tips of the trees around the village.

"Whoa! We're really high off the ground!" Olive looked out of the window and down on the world below. Pitchfork Pines seemed like a diorama to her from this altitude. "Is this what it's like to fly?" She asked, turning to Cleo

"A little bit, yeah." Cleo gave a nod. "Trust me, Olive. Flying _without_ Grrbus? Now that's a thrill ride." She rubbed her fingers around the scarab gently nestled on her neck. 

"Wow..." Olive replied in awe, wondering what it would be like to fly without having to rely on someone or something else to do it.

And all the way through their airborne travels, the Super Monsters and their respective teachers were all getting into conversations with one another. All of them happened at once and all of them were abuzz. Lobo, Vida, Spike, Sami, Rocky and Frankie were all talking about what there was to do on the beach and what they planned to do, while Zoe and Zane were brainstorming ideas for their sandcastle, and Olive and Cleo were still talking about the ergonomics of flying; no matter how it went. Even Ms. Esmie and Ms. Mina were talking about their lives outside of classrooms and work.

Drac and Katya weren't talking, though. Instead, they were enjoying the scenery passing them by. Although it was nothing special, since both of them were capable of flying around themselves, it was still rather relaxing to let someone else ferry them around for a change. Katya was just soaking it all in because of how it looked, while Drac used it as a way of reflecting on his dilemma. More specifically about the beach. He was going to be the only one who felt like he stuck out of the entire group of Super Monsters. His free-flying powers weren't helping his confidence. Sure, he could talk the talk and prove that his moves had moves, but he could do that just about everywhere. To him, it was like the beach wasn't going to be anything special; even with the stuff that he had packed.

"Isn't is wonderful out, Drac?" Katya turned back to see Drac, head pointed towards the ground. "Uh, Drac? Are you okay?"

"H-huh?" Drac was snapped out of his trance by those dulcet words. "O-oh, yeah. I'm fine, Katya. I'm still thinking about how I can make the beach seem special."

"Are you still worried that your flying powers are gonna make it seem boring?" Katya asked, shuffling closer to him.

"Well, I mean..." He let another sigh slip. "I wanna have as much fun as I can on the beach, but if I'm flying around everywhere, it won't really seem that special."

"It doesn't always have to be about flying, you know." Katya placed a hand on Drac's shoulder. "I know that it's a lot of fun to fly around everywhere, but sometimes, you've gotta learn to let your feet touch the ground every once in a while, Drac. Ground activities can be just as fun too."

"It's just that, well, if I wanna do anything at the beach, I want it to be beach-like. Something that you can only really do at the beach. Or, at least, with someone who'd fit in well at the beach." Drac peered out the window again and looked down. And as he did, he saw a familiar sight.

There, beneath him, was Crystal Lake; a quaint little lake with a few islands in the middle of it. There was a lot of clear space around it, with trees dotting the area of the lake. Normally, someone would have had to have walked their way through the forest in order to get there. Drac had only been there once, but it was one place he wouldn't forget in a heartbeat. Because he knew, deep beneath the waters of this lake, his friend was swimming. And as Drac looked down into the seemingly-bottomless water, an idea crossed his mind. One that may just have managed to turn his frown upside down.

 _Maybe... Yeah! That's perfect!_ He could feel a metaphysical lightbulb turning on in his mind. Now, all he needed to do was wait until everyone arrived at the beach.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. After so many trees passed the group by, there was nothing more than a plain landscape of green grass, ending with the beach and the seas beyond. Everyone else had stopped what they were talking about and took notice of the landscape. They all took a look and saw the landscape beyond. For some of them, this was their first time outside of Pitchfork Pines. Now, it was the world beyond that captured their full attention. The moon illuminated the world around them, painting in the otherwise darkened ground.

And then, Spike was the first one to notice it. He let out a gasp and flapped his way to the front. "Everyone! Look! I can see the sea!" He called.

And that was enough to prompt everyone else to try and look at what he saw. They all stood on top of their seats and noticed the sea out in the distance. All of the Super Monsters in the vicinity let out a gasp at the sight of the coast. It didn't stop there, however. As Grrbus got closer to the ground, the group could all see much more of the beach and what was going on down there. There were some food trucks there, selling wares to the people. There were other beachgoers spending their time on the beach together, either alone, or with friends and family. There were some huts on the beach, with striped patterns. Fully-dressed people went in, and people in swimming clothes came out, and vice versa. The ocean water's waves weren't large, but they were big enough to ride on; especially for the kids. They were also clear and colourful, with people in them, swimming, floating, or playing with beach balls or boards.

Grrbus landed safely by the curb and pulled up to a stop. Once he did, Igor took the time to open the doors and stand in front of the group. "Alright then, kiddos. Here we are. The beach!" he stretched his arms towards the open door and stepped aside to let everyone head out. "Now, remember to stay close. And, if you must wander off, at least let one of us know. And most importantly, have fun!"

Everyone got off and was greeted with a rather intoxicating smell. The smell of seabreezes swirling around their skins. It was then greeted by another smell that was just as inviting. All of the food that was being sold around them. Olive, Vida, Rocky, Lobo, and Cleo all took a smell and couldn't help but smile, looking around in amazement. Sami, Zane, Zoe, Katya, Frankie, and Spike were taking in the sights. That just left Drac, who was still thinking back to Crystal Lake. He was sure that he would be able to pull this off.

"Ooh, where should we put our things?" Cleo asked the teachers. "We shouldn't lose our stuff."

"You're right, Cleo. Let me just have a quick look around. I'll be right back." Ms. Mina spread her wings and took to the skies. She very quickly started to survey the area for a place that the Super Monsters could all put their belongings. Inbetween the beachgoers, the huts, and the other commodities of the beach, she eventually found a patch that would be good enough for all of them. Once she scoped it out, she somersaulted backward and dashed back to the kids. "I think I've found a good spot, everyone. Follow me." She beckoned them over with her arm, which got all twelve of the kids following her with a grin.

Drac hung behind the Super Monsters on purpose. After all, it would take them some time to get set up. He took a deep breath, thought about Crystal Lake, and in another burst of red light, he disappeared and reappeared at said lake. Surrounded by trees and water. He fist-pumped silently, and looked around for his friend. When he couldn't find them, he decided to call them out. He took a deep breath and called "Meluscine? Where are you?" As best as he could.

His call echoed around him for a few seconds, until at last, he heard the faint sounds of water sloshing around behind him. He saw some ripples on the water and a figure darting around underneath. And then, it leapt. For an instance, he saw her. A purple mermaid with fins that had neon cyan spots both on her tail and the fins on her back and head. Her hair was purple and magenta with a ponytail held up by a clamshell with an oyster. She wore a light blue shirt with an image of a clam on it. Diving back underneath the water, it was none other than Meluscine; the mermaid of Crystal Lake.

Meluscine poked her head out of the water once again, laid eyes on who had called her name, and her face lit up. "Drac!" She shot out of the water again, but instead of falling back down, she instead hung over the water with a wide smile; water trickling down her body in a short shower. "Welcome back!"

"It's nice to see you too, Meluscine." Drac flew over to her side again. "I really need to get out more, but hey. No rest for the wicked." He put his hands behind his head. "How've you been?"

"Oh, the usual, Drac." Meluscine responded. "Swimming around, talking with Charlie and his dad, all the usual things." She gave a shrug. "Nothing really out of the ordinary, is it?"

"Well, sometimes, it's good to have a routine." Drac couldn't help but blush at each cheek. He and Meluscine had formed a rather special relationship since the last time they had met; even if it was only their second meeting. He then shook his head to break himself out of his trance. His blush went away immediately. "A-anyways, I wanna take you somewhere. If you don't mind, that is?"

"Take me somewhere?" Meluscine curiously lifted a brow to Drac's offer.

"Yeah. Tonight, me and the other Super Monsters are having a day at the beach. You probably saw Grrbus just flying overhead earlier." Drac started to explain, "I saw Crystal Lake and I thought about the ocean and, well, I wanted to see how you'd like it. Th-that is, if you wanna come."

"Wait, you're all at the beach tonight?" Meluscine's eyes went wide. She had always been confined to the lake as long as she could remember. A chance for her to get out and swim in the actual ocean; the endless waters. "You can really take me there?"

"Y-yeah." Drac gave a nod.

"Oh, I've always wanted to go swimming in the sea!" Meluscine flew forward and pulled Drac into a tight midair-hug. "Can we go now? Please, please, please?"

"Sure we can!" Drac's smile returned. His plan was finally coming together. "Now, hold on tight. I've never actually done this with another person before."

"Okay, Drac." Meluscine closed her eyes and kept up her hug.

"Alright then. Here we go." Drac thought about the beach and as he did, he held onto Meluscine. Both of them vanished in another burst of red light. Both of them reappeared back at the coastline. Drac could see the Super Monsters were still laying out their towels and placing their bags down for safekeeping. "You can open your eyes now, Meluscine. We're here."

"Alright." Meluscine opened her eyes and looked behind her. And straight away, her eyes met the sea. She let out a loud gasp of delight as she saw the waves breaking against the coast. She was actually there, and beyond the beach, and endless world to explore. "We're... we're really here! The beach! Drac, this is amazing!"

"I knew you'd like it," Drac smirked and let go of Meluscine. As he did, she then turned her gaze to the other Super Monsters. "Why don't we give our friends a little surprise first? Then, maybe we can go swimming together?"

"Oh, sure. It'd be nice to see all your friends again." Meluscine gave a nod. Then, she gave a chuckle as she hid behind Drac, trying her best not to show any part of herself off.

Meluscine and Drac drifted over to the others and blended in. He slid his arms out of his backpack, letting Meluscine press her back against his properly. She pushed it forward with her tail and he unzipped it. Drac dug his hand inside to reveal a towel. He unfurled it to reveal a dark blue towel with a red wavy line pattern near the edges and a pattern of vampire bats on the front. He put it into the collage of other Super Monster towels; each that had been themed with different patterns, shapes, and logos that matched with the kids' monster selves.

"Hey, Drac? You were awfully late getting all set up." Frankie had noticed Drac's late contributions to the Super Monsters' towel group.

"Yeah. It's not like you to hang around, Drac. Is there something wrong?" Zoe asked, wandering over from her rainbow-coloured towel onto Drac's. "Did you leave something behind?"

"Actually, as a matter of fact, Zoe. I _did_ leave something behind." Drac let a tiny snicker escape from his mouth. "Or should I say... **Someone?** "

As soon as Drac stepped aside, Meluscine turned to face the other Super Monsters, giving them all a welcoming pose. "Hi!" She waved with a grin.

"Meluscine?" Katya, Lobo, Frankie, Zoe, Cleo, Spike, and Vida all replied in surprise.

"Meluscine?" The new class questioned, having noticed the new visitor. This was the first time that Olive, Rocky, Sami, or Zane had met Meluscine.

"It's so nice to see you again!" She flitted over towards the other Super Monsters. "I haven't been out of the lake in ages and you've not really come down since. I would've come anyways, but I didn't know when you'd be free." She started to blab. "Drac just popped around and invited me over and I just couldn't say no, now, could I?"

"Well, it's wonderful to have you here, Meluscine." Katya walked on over and gave Meluscine a handshake. "Now, I know this night's going to be even better!"

"I'm sure it will. Swimming with all you guys and girls out there in the big, blue sea. Ooh, I'm so excited I can barely wait!" Her fins were flapping in anticipation.

"Oh, Meluscine! Have you met the new class yet?" Spike asked, flapping his wings as he flew over. "Take a look!" He stretched his claws outward to show off the kids that Meluscine hadn't met yet. "These kids are Olive, Rocky, Sami, and Zane." Spike pointed them out one by one. "They're Super Monsters too!"

"Oh, are they?" Meluscine turned her focus to the New Class, trying to make heads or tails out of them. She only really knew the class that she was accustomed to. For her, this was her first time seeing an ogre, gargoyle, or yeti. "Well, it's lovely to meet you all." She swam over and shook their hands one after another. "My name's Meluscine, and I'm a flying mermaid."

"Hi, Meluscine." Rocky turned a shade of yellow now that he had met Meluscine properly. "You look awfully nice."

"Thanks." She reacted, then noticed his different skin colour. "Oh? Are you alright? You're looking a little..."

"Yellow?" Rocky finished for her, as his skin reverted to its' traditional shades of grey. "Oh, yeah. That happens. I can change colour with my mood."

"Well, it's an awfully pretty trick." Meluscine complimented. "I wonder what other colours you can go..."

"Well, if he stays happy, it'll just be yellow," interrupted Olive as she walked forward. "Hey, Meluscine? Do you like food?"

"Why do you ask?" Meluscine tilted her head at Olive. "Do you like food?"

"Oh, I LOVE it!" Olive held her hands together and swooned. "My parents like their food. It's what gives them their super-special scent. I'm still trying to find my super-special scent, because there's so much good food out there. I just can't decide."

"Olive's an ogre. And they really love making and eating things," Sami explained. "And I'm a yeti? Wanna know what we can do?" She asked.

"What do you do?" Meluscine responded.

"This!" Sami thrust both her hands out, making a small mound of snow appear on the sand. It was light pink and glistened under the moonlight. Once her pile of snow came to being, Sami waddled over and scooped up some of the snow, then came back to Meluscine's side. "Here you go, Meluscine."

Sami dumped the snow into Meluscine's hands, causing her hands to turn cold rapidly as the snow fell through the gaps of her fingers. She made a noise akin to that of a horse as she shivered and rubbed her hands together. "What is that?" She asked, "And why is it so cold?"

"It's snow, Meluscine. Every yeti can do stuff like that." Sami looked down at the snow. "And when it melts, it becomes water. Just like the stuff you can swim in, right?"

"I'm new to this whole snow thing. It's my first time outside of Crystal Lake, actually." Meluscine curled in on herself and twiddled her fingers together, showing her reclusive side. "Sure, I can fly, but I don't usually leave the lake."

"Aww... don't you get lonely?" Zane asked, raising a hand to her shoulder. "I mean, swimming all around the same place over and over all by yourself, it sounds awfully lonely."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Meluscine looked out towards the sea once again. It was there, right before her eyes. And Zane's words were awfully sound. She only really knew Drac and his friends, and they weren't gonna grow fins, gills, and learn to live underwater with her any time soon. But now, she had the whole wide ocean at her fingertips and so many sights to see beyond the waters. "I suppose it can get a little bit lonely."

"Aww, don't worry about it, Meluscine. You're here with us now." Drac tousled Meluscine's hair. "With me, the Super Monsters, and the new class. You're gonna have the time of your life tonight. I _promise_."

"I know I will." Meluscine felt a smile return as she felt Drac comforting her. She turned to him and gave him a grin. "How about I pay you back? I still owe you those swimming lessons, right?"

"Sure. When are we ever gonna have a better time for it?" He flashed her another grin. "Let me just get changed, then I'll be right back."

"Okay then. I'll see you in the water." Meluscine flapped her fins, then blasted off towards the water. She quickly dove beneath the waves and started to glide underneath the surface. Once Meluscine got started, she just couldn't stop herself. All of her fins were flapping away; both the ones on her tail, and the ones on her head and back. Like a bullet, she shot across the water, performing a series of undersea tricks; not that anyone would see them unless they came into the water with her. Still, Meluscine didn't mind not having anyone pay any attention to her. After all, she was out in the actual sea. She could go anywhere; do whatever she wanted.

Drac took his bag and flew towards one of the huts. He slipped inside and pulled out a pair of trunks, swimming goggles, and a pair of inflatable armbands. After he undressed and put on his swimming trunks, Drac opened the caps and blew as hard as he could into them, causing both armbands to inflate. He popped the caps back on and slipped the armbands on. With everything else accounted for, Drac put on his goggles and did some poses all to himself; not that anyone would see him. Heck, as a vampire, he wouldn't even be able to see himself at night. But he didn't mind that. After all, he knew that he was talented and that he looked good. It wouldn't matter what anyone else thought of him.

The night was in full swing at long last. The Super Monsters were all off doing their own things. Lobo was already taking to the sand, using his little feet to speed off and try and write his name as fast as he could. Frankie and Rocky were both looking for seashells together while Vida was seeing if there was any seaweed she could use her plant magic on. Zoe, Zane, and Sami were all busy making castles. While Zoe and Zane's was made of sand, Sami's castle was made out of snow instead. Katya and Olive were taking some time together to nibble on some cotton candy, while Spike and Cleo were playing with the sand itself. Spike threw it in the air while Cleo suspended it midair with her wind powers; both of them sharing giggles as they did so.

As for Drac and Meluscine, both of them were in the water. Drac was trying his best to swim, with Meluscine sticking close by him. With his inflatable armbands on, Drac was doing the breaststroke, only moving forward a few inches with each stroke, both because of how small he was and because of the temperature of the water itself. Drac was used to the cold and used to water, but both at the same time? That was a new one for him. He was trying his very best not to stop, but the frigid water was sapping away his energy. Still, he pushed on, much to Meluscine's pleasure.

"Y'know... I really don't know how you handle swimming, Meluscine." He muttered as some of the water crashed against his face, making him splutter. "I mean, there's nothing against it, but it's just so cold here. It's like I'm trying to swim in a glass of dad's cola."

"You'll get used to it pretty soon, Drac." Meluscine winked. "I remember when I started out swimming, it was so cold and I was shivering all the time. I thought I'd get turned into an ice cube."

"Just... gotta fight it, right?" Drac tried to take a deep breath, but even in the cold water, that was a challenge. He had to take a moment to stop swimming and float. As he floated still, he inhaled, then he exhaled. Then, he pushed on again with his swimming. "It's nothing."

"You know, Drac, with those things on your head, you could take a look at the seafloor." Meluscine tapped the goggles that were resting on Drac's forehead. "I've heard that there's so many pretty things at the bottom of the sea. All you need to do is dive."

"Really?" Drac asked. "I thought you could only look at the seafloor through a book."

"I thought so too, but we're here in the real sea. Let's go and see for ourselves!" Meluscine took Drac's hand and started to swim off.

Drac tried his very best to swim of his own accord with Meluscine dragging him along. However, it was clear that his swimming prowess wasn't as good as hers, so he had to use some of his own flight powers in order to keep up. Regardless, the two of them made good time and distance as they dashed along the surface of the water, with a combination of swimming and low-flight. The two of them went quite far out, but they could still see the coastline behind them with how far they were. After a while, Drac thought it was all rather fun, and tried to swim more than fly, but it was quite tempting to fly too. Whatever way he did it, he was travelling the sea with Meluscine.

Eventually, the two of them came to a patch of water that let off a pink glow. They stopped in their tracks, and Meluscine lowered herself back into the water. Both of them bobbed daintily for a few moments, before Meluscine submerged herself and dove all the way down to the bottom as fast as she could. She didn't stop until she saw what was giving off the light. Meluscine saw some sea sponges at the bottom, nestled in a formation of rocks, all positioned and glowing to make the shape of a large flower.

"Whoa..." Meluscine gasped as she swam around the sponges, grazing them with her tail fin. As she touched them, the sea sponges expelled bubbles that drifted all the way up to the top in a dazzling formation. The column of bubbles was ever so inviting, that Meluscine couldn't help but swim all the way up through it, twirling and spinning around as the bubbles flew up around her; resulting in a dazzling display. She let out a gleeful laugh as she finally rocketed out of the water and splashed down by Drac's side again. "Drac! Drac! Look below the water!" She excitedly tapped him on the shoulder.

"Okay then." Drac responded and buried his face in the water. As he did, Meluscine shot back under the water and set off the bubbles again. She launched herself up in the swirling spiral of bubbles, giving Drac the biggest smile that she could the whole while. He tried to say something to express his awe, but all that came out of his mouth was a sound garbled and warped by the sea, as bubbles popped out of his mouth. His face was then pelted with bubbles as Meluscine came back out once again, showering Drac's hair with water, causing it to go floppy and drape down his shoulders.

"Oh, Drac, this is the best day ever!" Meluscine rose from the water once again, eyes once again fixated on Drac. "I'm so glad that you decided to take me along for the ride! Thank you so, so, so much!" She barrelled into his body and gave him the biggest hug that she could.

"Heh. Anything for a good friend like you, Meluscine." Drac reciprocated the hug, wrapping his arms around her body.

"You know, thinking about it more, I don't think I ever wanna go back to Crystal Lake after this." Meluscine came out of the hug at last. "Not when there's the whole wide world to explore." She stretched her arm out to the edge of the horizon.

"Wait, really?" Drac's expression fell a little. "But what about your home? Without you, Crystal Lake won't be special anymore. Not to mention, Ranger Ben and Charlie would miss you so, so much."

"I know, I know. But they've got you and the rest of the Super Monsters; not to mention those new friends of yours you made." Meluscine put a hand on Drac's shoulder. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind." She let out a giggle. "Now c'mon, let's go see some more of the sea!" She started to swim away, but this time, Drac wasn't following.

Drac was now in a predicament. With Meluscine here in the sea, he had put Crystal Lake in jeopardy. Without Meluscine there, the lake would just be a normal lake. Not to mention, he and the other Super Monsters would most likely never see her again if she went ahead with her adventures in the wide world beyond. He couldn't bear to lose a friend like Meluscine; not after how they had connected. He taught her to fly, and she was helping him to swim. A bond like that was something that wouldn't be able to rupture like that, but Drac couldn't just let her go off like this and leave Crystal Lake barren. But what could he do?

"C'mon, Drac!" Meluscine called from afar, waving her arm.

"U-uh, coming!" Drac was snapped out of his trance and swam along as fast as he could to chase after Meluscine. With every inch that he swam, he couldn't help but keep thinking about what would happen if Meluscine left Crystal Lake. And the broken hearts of all the other Super Monsters who had met her.

* * *

Drac and Meluscine had been taking in the sights of the sea together. And while Drac could only look from the surface, Meluscine always tried her very best to bring the delights of the seafloor up to him. Special fish, glowing lights, even some sunken treasure. And while it was all distracting Drac from the issue at hand, he still couldn't shake it as they both went off to the next sight. Eventually, the both of them swam all the way back to the shoreline together, laying eyes on the other Super Monsters.

"Y'know, we've been swimming for a long time now, Drac. And I can see so many other fun things there on the beach." Meluscine pointed out the sights around her. She could see that Zoe and Zane's sandcastle was making good progress, almost looking large enough for them to live inside together. On top of that, Sami was making some additions to her snowcastle, with some of the seashells that Frankie and Rocky had procured on their adventures. They could also see that Katya, Spike, and Cleo were airborne and playing with a large beach ball with strips of red, blue, yellow, and white on it. Meanwhile, Vida and Lobo were both using a long strip of seaweed—most likely made that long because of Vida's plant magic—as a jump rope; one that Olive was hopping as it swished round and around. "Why don't we take a break with the swimming? I'm sure we'll have plenty of time later on."

"Are you sure?" Drac took a look back at Meluscine, pulling his eyes away from the merriment of the rest of his class and the new class. "You seem awfully happy here in the sea."

"I know, but tonight, you and the Super Monsters are all having fun on the beach together. I didn't wanna take that away from you." She twiddled her thumbs. "And besides; the world's not all just sand, sea, and swimming, right?"

"Yeah, fair enough." Drac gave a nod and walked out of the water. He shook himself as vigorously as he could to try and shake the water off; while also playfully imitating how Lobo would do it if he was soaked like that. "And we're gonna be having our picnic soon. I just know it. That's why we all brought our bags, y'know."

"I see." Meluscine had to squint a little, but she could now see each of the Super Monsters' individual bags resting by the towel collage; which was looking properly laid out and very bright under the moonlight. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Meluscine floated out of the water, the tip of her tail just touching the water. She flew with Drac over to the beach, to see what they could see.

The two of them flitted their way to Katya, Cleo, and Spike, who were all engrossed in their sky game of ball. First, Spike batted the ball to Cleo, who used her hoverboard to knock it airborne, then did a skillful flip and launched it over to Katya, who used her magic to create a bat that hit the ball back to Spike. He let out a roar, which made thick purple clouds drift out of his mouth one by one. They acted as platforms that bounced the ball. Once it was by his claws, he saw Drac and Meluscine again.

"Head's up!" He called as he swatted the ball to Drac, who flew towards the ball, bounced it upward, then passed it to Meluscine, who chuckled and used her tail fin to strike the ball back to Cleo, who caught it be extending her wrapping and coiling it around the ball; a new trick that she had picked up. She recoiled the wrapping back into her body, which in turn, brought the beach ball to her hands, which she used to hold it.

"Hey, Meluscine!" Cleo gave her a wave. "Up for a game of Sky Ball with us?"

"Sounds like fun!" Meluscine gave a chuckle, and quickly flew over to the other airborne Super Monsters. "C'mon, Drac. You too!"

"Ya don't need to tell me twice." He smirked and took his position.

"Get ready! Here I come!" Cleo tossed the beach ball into the air, used her board to fly up, then smacked it back down as hard as she could towards Katya.

As soon as Katya saw that the ball was heading towards her, she used one of her hands to knock the ball up, then used the brush end of her broomstick to hit it towards Drac.

Drac knocked his ball into the air, teleported a few feet above it, then knocked it over to Meluscine.

Meluscine used her hands to knock the ball up, then she headbutted the ball over to Spike as it came crashing back down.

Spike caught the ball at last, passed it around his back into his other hand, and then sent it hurtling back to Cleo, with a combination of force from his hand and a cloud-making roar.

"Ready for another, Meluscine?" Cleo caught the ball, then took a different approach. Using her wind powers, she suspended the ball in a gust of wind, brought forth by rolling her hands, almost like she was rubbing them together. Then, by pushing both hands forward, Cleo sent the ball blasting forward towards Meluscine. "Catch!"

Meluscine saw the accelerated ball coming her way. She barely had enough time to catch the ball. And as she did, it knocked her backwards. She was a hair's breadth away from the ground when she stopped. The ball was still in her hand. Wasting no time, she flew all the way back up to Drac, Katya, Cleo, and Spike. "Alright. If that's the game you wanna play..." She cheekily wound up the hardest throw that she could, pointing it towards Drac. "Coming your way, Drac!" And then, she threw it.

Drac saw the ball that Meluscine had hurled at her and tried to catch it. And, in doing so, she ended up knocking him backwards with a decent amount of force. Drac's hands were grasping onto the ball, but he was now trying his best to fight against the force and keep control of his body. He then decided to teleport; taking the ball with him. He popped back up where he had been flying before.

"That was a fast one." He chuckled lightly as he pulled the ball away from his face. _I don't ever wanna miss that, Meluscine. Or any of your other games..._ "Now, let's see if I can be that strong too..." Using all of the force that he could, Drac targeted Katya with his throw. "Get ready, Katya. Here comes a real fastball!" And then, he launched it.

Katya saw the ball heading straight for her and held up her wand in response. The star-shaped tip illuminated, and the ball was enveloped in an aura, stopped in midair. Katya gave a little chuckle and cleared her throat. " _Let's make this ball game come alive! As I turn one ball into five!_ " She cast her spell, and as she swung her wand forward, she kept one ball, but four more were sent flying towards Drac, Spike, Cleo, and Meluscine.

All of thee flying Super Monsters saw the balls coming their way and were caught off-guard by it all. They fumbled but were still able to keep their balls aloft. Juggling them in the air, they now had to choose who they wanted to toss another ball to. In doing so, It became a challenge to not only keep their balls above the ground but also to try and see if they could get anyone else out of the flow. Cleo was the first one to break the flow and ended up sending her ball to Spike. He had to use his ball for defense, which caused it to hurtle towards Meluscine, who used her tail fin to bat it into Drac, who knocked it airborne, then felt the other beach ball collide with his head. Yelping, he threw the ball in shock at Katya, who had to strike the ball with her hand. Once that was out of the way, she shot the next ball at Cleo. The chaos went on and on, as the flying Super Monsters tried to keep up. The chaos eventually got too much that it caused the kids to either drop their balls, bump into one another, or get caught in the crossfire of a shot intended for someone else. At last, all five of them ended up falling from exhaustion, landing in a cluttered heap on the sand, with Meluscine at the top of the pile.

"That was awesome!" Meluscine got off of the pile, then watched as the other Super Monsters got out of it as well, getting back on their feet.

"Y-yeah, it was." Drac weakly chuckled, having to splutter to get the sand out of his mouth. "Though, next time, do ya think you could lay off of the copying magic, Katya?"

"Sorry." Katya blushed at each cheek as she brushed the sand off of her clothes. "I guess I went a little overboard there, didn't I?"

"A little bit, yeah." Cleo meekly chuckled as she used her wind powers to blow the sand off of herself.

"Why don't we do something else?" Spike asked, flapping his wings that were now topped with specks of sand. "Something that doesn't end up turning us into a pile?"

"What about that?" Meluscine asked, pointing towards the two castles that Zoe, Zane, and Sami had been working on. "Those look awfully pretty! Can I go check 'em out?"

"Sure, Meluscine. Go ahead!" Cleo gave a nod.

Meluscine shot away towards the castles and got a good look at what Zoe, Zane, and Sami had made. The two castles both stood tall and firmly together. The sandcastle was made with the sweat, determination, and Zane and Zoe's powers. It had been decorated with shells, ribbons, and other various objects and hollowed out so that people who went inside the sandcastle could have a look outside. At the top stood a flag, fluttering gently in the wind. As for the snowcastle that Sami had made, it was similarly hollowed out, but it had no decorum whatsoever. Purely because it glistened under the moonlight and was made out of bright pink snow to begin with. The way that it twinkled and shimmered was enough to draw anyone's eyes. And Meluscine was no exception.

"Whoa..." She finally said at last, admiring the castle from the inside and out. "This looks so pretty! How did you make it?" She asked, swimming through the air around the castles.

"Hi, Meluscine. Yes it is rather nice, isn't it?" said Zoe as she laid her eyes on Meluscine. "It took a while, but me and Zane did our very best to make this castle the best that it could be."

"Uh-huh! We got lots and lots of sand together!" Zane bobbed his head up and down as he ran to what looked like the main entrance to the castle. "And we made sure to use our powers to make it strong enough to hold!"

"Zane did most of the work when it came to the top of the castle. Him and his new powers." Zoe patted Zane on the back as Meluscine flew inside to see the decorations on the inside. As she vanished from the naked eye, both Zoe and Zane used their eyes to see through the walls of their castle that Meluscine was examining the upper floors.

"I can see that." Meluscine gave a grin to what she saw. There were special patterns drawn in by fingers depicting all sorts of sea-themed objects. There were shells, fishes, seaweed, waves, and more scrawled on the walls by Zoe and Zane's fingers.

"And we can see you, Meluscine!" Zane blurted out with a giggle of his own.

"Wait, you can?" Meluscine looked around for Zane and Zoe. Try as she might, she couldn't see them inside or outside of the building. "But how? I can't see you."

"That's because we're using our zombie powers!" Zoe chimed in as Meluscine came out of the castle at last and drifted down to Zoe's side. "Look!" She pointed to her eyes, which were twinkling with blue light.

"Ooh..." Meluscine couldn't help but look at Zoe's eyes as examined the hard work they had done from the outside.

"What do you think, Zane? Is there more we can do?" Zoe asked.

"With you? There's always something more we can make for this thing." Zane walked over to the sandcastle and gently tapped on the wall with his hand. Some sand ended up on his hand, so he just shook it off.

"I'm sure that you'll be able to have lots of fun playing hide-and-seek here." Meluscine commented, then turned her focus to Sami's snowcastle. "Ooh... Sami? Did you make this all by yourself?"

"Huh?" Sami turned around and saw that Meluscine was flying right in front of her. "O-oh. Hi! You're that mermaid the Suepr Monsters are friends with. Me... Mel... Meluscia?"

" _Meluscine_ ," she corrected for Sami.

"Y-yeah! That's it." Sami blushed. "Sorry. This is the first night I've ever met you. I'm not exactly good at remembering your name yet." She turned back to the snowcastle that she had made. "Oh, but if you're asking about my snowcastle, yes, I did make it all by myself." She gave a nod a cast some more of her snow magic on the castle. Sami's magic made a large clump of snow form on the walls; one that she quickly started using her hands to mould it with. It was a little bit crooked, but Sami finished by stepping aside, showing Meluscine the giant snowflake that she had left behind. "What do you think?"

"I think it looks good. Especially for someone like you." Meluscine touched the snowflake with her hand and, as she did, she felt a little shiver run up her arm. She took her hand off of it and went over towards the door. "So, how long have you been a Super Monster for?" She asked as she went through the entrance of Sami's snowcastle.

"Oh, not very long." Sami walked inside the snowcastle as well. She took Meluscine's hand and started to walk her around the place. "I only just joined the new class a couple of months ago. But Olive, Rocky, Zane, and Ms. Mina have been a really big help in making me feel comfortable." Both Sami and Meluscine took a look around the foyer of the snowcastle. There were more mounds that had been fashioned out of snow, as well as furniture that had been made out snow like tables and chairs. There was also a chandelier made out of snow hanging from above, dangling over the snow table. The entire room was a large kaleidoscope of Sami's colourful snow. It was almost as if Meluscine and Sami had been taken to a winter wonderland; or something that they would see at Christmas time.

"How long have you had your snow powers?" Meluscine asked as she and Sami went up the stairs together.

"Oh, I've had them ever since I was a baby," Sami explained, turning to Meluscine. "In fact, Drac always keeps telling me that, when I was so little, I was always covering him from head to toe in snow. I hope that, as I get older, I can control those snow powers a little bit better."

"I can imagine he'd look awfully silly dressed up in snow." Meluscine gave a little giggle, trying to picture Drac covered in Sami's snow.

"Oh, I'm sure the other Super Monsters can say that he was." Sami nodded. "In fact, I'm sure they know he was silly covered in my snow. And not just him, but all of them too. I don't really remember it all, but if I was sneezing, then I must've done it to everyone else in Drac's class too..."

Meluscine just chuckled again, trying to picture all of the Super Monsters covered in Sami's snow from head to toe. Especially Drac.

Meanwhile, outside, Drac was still thinking about things. As Katya and Cleo both went on their way to play with the snow, using their magic and wind powers, Spike just stuck around Drac, noticing that he was deep in thought. He saw that he was constantly focusing on Meluscine as she finished at the castles and made her way to Lobo and Vida. A sign escaped Drac's lips, and Spike thought that it was time for him to intervene.

"Drac? Are you alright?" Spike asked, tapping on Drac's shoulder.

"Spike? Do you think I made a mistake bringing Meluscine here?" Drac asked, looking into Spike's eyes.

"A mistake? But she's having so much fun here!" Spike returned his gaze to Meluscine, who was trying her very best to chase after Lobo, but found that more often than not, she was horrifically outpaced by his super-speed. "You made her awfully happy, Drac."

"I know. I know! But that's the problem!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms toward the ground. "Meluscine's never, ever, **EVER** gonna want to leave! She's gonna stay at the beach forever, and then Crystal Lake's gonna be completely empty..."

"But she can't just leave, can she?" Spike asked, seeing Drac's distress clear as day. "I mean, she's a flying mermaid who loves her home so much. And she's also got Ranger Ben and Charlie to keep her company, so..."

"But now she's got the sea. And she's so in love with it that I don't think she'd ever wanna go back." Drac stretched his hand out to the ocean. "And who could blame her? There's all sorts of things in the water that'll entice her to stay. For all I know, the bottom of Crystal Lake's completely empty."

"Well, I'm sure Meluscine wouldn't just up and leave her home behind, right?" Spike pushed the tips of his claws together. "I mean, it's her home. You don't leave your home behind."

"No, you don't. But when you see the sea's got so much more to offer..." Drac took one more look at Meluscine, who was spending some time putting her own name into the sand using her fingers. Lobo stood by her side to help her out. "Meluscine's a really special friend, Spike. I don't want this to be the last night I ever see her again."

"Why don't you just talk to her about it? She'd wanna stay if you really, really wanted her to stay, right?" Spike asked.

"I mean... I tried to, but she just cut me off. What should I say?" Drac nervously turned to Spike. "I can't just go up to her and say that she can't stay here. It'd break her heart. And possibly our bond as friends."

"Just say what you wanna say, Drac. I'm sure that she'll understand, no matter what you have to say." Spike gave Drac a pat on the back. "And if you don't know, just speak to Igor, Ms.Esmie, or Ms.Mina. I'm sure they'll give you a hand."

"Right, right..." Drac took a couple of steps forward. "I just hope I get through to her..."

* * *

The night went on and on. Inbetween it all, the Super Monsters had all taken the time to enjoy a picnic break with each other, with a combination of food from their families and some of the delicacies on the beachfront. Drac had decided to try both out, purely because he loved his dad's cooking and also because he was morbidly curious about the food of the beach. But even with all the food he had consumed and was slowly digesting, he still couldn't get Meluscine out of his mind. He wanted to find the right words to convince her to stay at Crystal Lake, but nothing was coming to mind. Not a single thing. If he didn't act soon, he would risk losing her forever. And he would be kicking himself if he just let her go.

Once the picnic came to an end, Drac took to the air and got a bird's eye view of the group. From his height, he could see that Meluscine went back over to finish scribbling in her name in the sand, with a seashell taking the place of the dot above the I in her name. Once she was proud of the work that she had done, Meluscine darted over to Frankie and Rocky, who were both hanging out by a rock pool with buckets in hand. Drac, on the other hand, watched from afar. And when they started talking to each other, he warped behind one of the tall rocks and pressed his back against it so that he could listen in on the conversation.

"So, what do you think you'll find here?" Meluscine asked, looking down into the shallow pits of the rock pool. It just reached the sea, and the waves crashed against the edges, sloshing water into it.

"Something special. Like a starfish..." Frankie was already trying to get a closer look at the stuff beneath the waters of the rock pool. He dunked his head into the water like an ostrich would into the sand, but his vision was heavily blurred by the water itself. He pulled his head out of the water, flicking water behind the rock. It landed straight on Drac's face; not that either of them could see it. "Hey, Rocky? Think you can see something down there?"

"I dunno, Frankie. Let me try..." Rocky rolled up his sleeves, stared down into the water and thought he saw something. Like Frankie, he placed his face under the water, but once he did, his vision was practically ravaged by the salty seawater. He tried to say something under the water, but all that came out of his mouth was garbled noise and bubbles that floated to the top. He pulled his head out and sighed. "I can't see anything either, Frankie. What's with this water?"

"It's alright. I can see if there's anything underwater for you." Meluscine hovered over the water and stared down at it. "It does look pretty small, though. But oh well. Sometimes, you can find pretty things just about anywhere." She rubbed her hands together and thrust her head in the water. Unlike Rocky and Frankie, Meluscine was used to the water; no matter how salty or fresh it was. Her eyes could see straight through everything with ease. The floor of the rock pool was almost empty, if not for the rocks and the small barnacles resting on them. Meluscine surfaced again and faced Rocky and Frankie. "Looks like this one's awfully empty. Let's see if we can find something good in another one, boys."

"How can you see under all that water, Meluscine?" Frankie asked as he and Rocky hopped over the edge to the next rock pool.

"Oh, it's really easy. But maybe that's just because I'm a mermaid." Meluscine explained as she came over to a wider pool. Surely, there was something that they would be able to find inside. It was touching the very edge of the sea, so if a fish or something similar just happened to wander in, then she, Frankie, and Rocky would have a clear shot at it.

"Wow... I wish that I could see underwater as good as you, Meluscine..." Rocky remarked, entranced by Meluscine as she surveyed the pool they were hanging over.

"Well, who knows? You might just get that wish some day." Meluscine giggled as she swam underneath the water of the rock pool, immediately noticing something shimmering at the bottom of it. There was a slender fish with rainbow-coloured gills, shining underneath the water just out of sight of those on the surface. She scooped it up gently with both hands and brought it up to the surface, where she poked her head out of. "Hey, look! I found this thing at the bottom!"

"What is that?" Frankie asked as he stared at the fish flapping around in Meluscine's hands, before it jumped out and fled back underneath the waters.

"I think that was a Rainbow Trout. A baby Rainbow Trout too." Rocky took a look as he watched the fish dive back to the bottom and seemingly vanish. "They're really special fish, as you only get to see their rainbow patterns at night."

"I think it's the first time I've ever seen a fish like this..." Meluscine descended back into the pool again and collected the fish once again. "Frankie, Rocky, see if you can catch it. I'll look for some more." She said as just her face floated out of the water. She bobbed back underwater and looked around for the Rainbow Trout and, as she found one, more and more could be seen in the pools beyond. Meluscine caught the first one and brought it up to Frankie and Rocky, who both leapt at the chance to scoop the fish up with their buckets, inadvertently crashing into each other and falling into the rock pool's waters, sending a wave towards the rock that Drac was still hidden beneath. Miraculously, Drac wasn't soaked at all as the water tumbled around him.

Drac decided to, at last, see the source of the kerfuffle by poking his head out over the top of the rocks. He saw the water-logged Frankie and Rocky clambering out of the water, shaking off all of the droplets that they could, spritzing the rocks around them. He also noticed Meluscine surveying ahead to scope out the other rock pools for other delights. He tried to think of the words over and over in his head to tell her, but didn't know what to say without coming off as a clingy, unfair-sounding kid. Drac took a deep breath and watched as Frankie and Rocky caught the Rainbow Trouts that they could just about see, sweeping their buckets through the water to ensnare them.

This went on and on for minutes upon minutes, and Drac was starting to worry about how much fun Meluscine was having. Between the sea, the castles that the other Super Monsters had made, the ball game with the flying Super Monsters, and now this rock pooling with Frankie and Rocky, it was becoming more and more apparent that the seaside was sure to claim Meluscine and that she would leave Crystal Lake behind. At least, that's what Drac thought. He couldn't bear to watch it anymore, as he dejectedly made his way back through the air, looking down on the world below him.

At last, he made his way back to the three teachers, Igor, Ms. Esmie, and Ms. Mina. He flopped back onto his towel and stared up towards the skies, seeing the stars twinkle above. "Oh, Meluscine... What have I done?" He groaned to himself, seeing the heads of the three grown-ups shortly after.

"What do you mean, Drac?" Ms. Esmie was the first one of them to speak to Drac.

"I brought Meluscine here to the beach because I thought it'd be a fun way to liven up the night. Give myself and her a special one-of-a-kind night that you don't see too often, Ms. Esmie," said Drac, lifting his head up slightly. "But now, I think I might have gone a little bit too far by bringing her here."

"What makes you say that?" Ms. Mina was next to talk, kneeling down to Drac's height. "It doesn't look like she's getting into trouble, and she's sure having fun with the rest of the kids."

"No, no. That's not what I'm worried about." Drac sat up at last, putting his chin in his hands. "See, Crystal Lake is Meluscine's home. And it's special because it's her home. But now that she's here at the beach, I don't think she'll ever want to leave. She'll want to just stay here forever. And then... we may never see her again."

"Oh, I don't think Meluscine would want to leave that easily," Drac." Igor was the next to offer his ever-so-scholarly advice. "Sure, sure. It might look like Meluscine's having the time of life, but I'm sure that she knows that she'll have to go home eventually. No matter how wonderful some new place might be, you can't stay there forever. Sooner or later, you will end up getting homesick, whether you're a small Super Monster, or a big, grown-up.

"Homesick?" Drac parroted. "How can you get sick off of your home? And why haven't I gotten homesick yet?"

Igor could only chuckle at that. "No, Drac. Homesick doesn't mean your sick of your home. It means that you miss your home very much, making you feel very sad."

"Think about it. If you were on vacation with your parents forever, wouldn't you miss your home in Pitchfork Pines? Along with the other Super Monsters?" Ms. Esmie added, laying one of her hands on Drac's shoulder. "Wouldn't just want to come back to see them again?"

"I mean... yeah. I guess?" Drac shrugged. "But I've got those new teleportation powers too. I could always just swing by for a bit, then head back to mom and dad on vacation. Right?"

"Mmm. Well, think about a Super Monsters that can't teleport wherever they want. Like Frankie or Spike. How do you think they would feel, missing their home and their friends?" Ms. Mina went on, looking back towards the others. "You may not know it, Drac, but people do miss their homes eventually. It gets to the point where the sadness is just too much and they need to get back. That's why vacations always have an ending."

"And why I'm sure Meluscine will want to go home eventually, even if it looks like she's on top of the world right now." Ms. Esmie added. "Why don't you just go over to her and talk about it? I'm sure that she'll understand exactly why you're worried about her, Drac."

"But... I don't wanna end up hurting her feelings either. That's the other thing." Drac's tone of voice fell as he twiddled with his little fingers. "Meluscine loves this place to bits. And if I take that away from her, she might not want to be my friend anymore. What can I say without making her feel sad or angry?"

"Say whatever you want to say, Drac." Ms. Esmie helped him get back onto his feet, prompting him to start floating again. "If it's coming from you, then surely, Meluscine will understand. Now go off and tell her all your troubles." She gave Drac a soft push, and he flew forward.

"Right..." Drac gulped as he flew across the sands, inching closer and closer to Meluscine. Passing by the other Super Monsters along the way, Drac thought just about what the others would think about Meluscine, and how they would feel if she left. Even with the teachers' words encouraging him to go for it, something naggled away at his mind, telling him that this was all about to go terribly wrong. A deep breath escaped his lips as he pushed on. He needed to say these words right now, before it ended up destroying him.

At last, Drac came to the edge of the beach, where Meluscine had finally taken some time to herself after all of the fun and games she had been having with the other Super Monsters. Her tail gently grazed the water, swaying back and forth. She looked out towards the endless expanse, the light of the moon raining down upon it, reflecting in the water. It was a picturesque sight for both Drac and Meluscine. As both of them stared out beyond, he took his place next to her, hanging inches above the water with her.

"It's awfully beautiful, isn't it?" Drac asked first.

"Yeah. And beyond the horizon, there's so many places to explore, things to see, and people to meet." Meluscine was dreaming about all of the amazing adventures that she would be able to go on once she swam out. "Oh, Drac. This has been so much fun. Getting to stretch my arms and swim outside of my comfort zone. I can't thank you enough for a night like this."

"You're welcome." A very low-pitched smirk escaped his lips, one that quickly got smothered back up by another sigh. "Still... I need to say something. Something important."

"Huh?" Meluscine was concerned by the way that Drac had said it. "What do you mean, important?"

"I... Well, see..." Drac looked into Meluscine's eyes and saw how her face was beginning to show signs of concern. From the raised eyebrows to the frown starting to form, Drac knew that there was no getting out of it now. "Meluscine. I don't ever want to lose you. I don't ever want you to leave forever and never come back. So that's why I need to say this. We can't stay here forever. I can't stay, my friends can't stay, and you can't stay either." He heard Meluscine let out a small gasp. "N-now, before you start getting worried about it, I want to say this. I'm just... well, if I let you go all the way out to the seas, it'll be impossible for you to get back. You won't be able to go home and me and the other Super Monsters might never see you again."

"Drac?" Meluscine was starting to get awfully tense about the whole situation. She swam over and started to rub Drac's arms tenderly. "Can you please explain? You're starting to freak me out here..."

"Meluscine. I think I've made a mistake. Now that I've brought you here, you love the beach and the sea so much that you don't wanna go home." Drac explained, as he pulled her hands off of his arms calmly. "You love the sea, you love the sand, and you've loved playing with all of my friends here that now, Crystal Lake seems like it can't even compete. And because of that, I've been getting awfully sad about the thought that you might leave and never return. You'll never get homesick in a place like this, won't you?"

"Drac..." Meluscine now pieced together exactly what Drac was fretting about, and all of a sudden, she felt awfully sorry for him. So, to compensate for his frazzled nerves, she hobbled up and gave Drac the sweetest hug that she could. "No matter what happens, Crystal Lake is still my home. Sure, the rest of the world is all open to me now, but I'll always go straight back home."

"R-really? But you're so happy here that I didn't want to cause you too much trouble by saying anything." Drac blushed a little as he returned Meluscine's hug. "That's why I just let you go off and play with the other Super Monsters. I didn't know how I was gonna break the news to you."

"Oh, Drac. You know that I'll always miss you and all of your friends." Meluscine took one last look back to the shore and watched the other Super Monsters playing around in their various games and activities once again. "You don't ever forget faces like yours. Or the faces of your friends. Especially when you're all so interesting. I mean, you never see vampires, witches, werewolves, Frankenstein, zombies, mummies, dragons, skeletons, ogres, gargoyles, or yetis underwater. There's so much to love about you and your home that I just have to stay. Because I know there'll always be something that'll surprise me."

"So... you're not gonna leave Pitchfork Pines?" Drac asked.

"Nope! I'm gonna stay where I belong and maybe, if I wanted, I could come down to your village and see what other wonders you and the other Super Monsters have in store." Meluscine grinned again. "I'm gonna miss this place, but there's no place like home."

"Th-thanks, Meluscine." Drac felt his lips get wobbly. A squiggly smile formed on his lips as he closed his eyes and nuzzled Meluscine's neck. Now that all of the pressure had been taken off of him, Drac felt much more confident with himself again. He was just happy to know that Meluscine wasn't going to be going away any time soon.

"No problem, Drac." Meluscine giggled. "Now, why don't we spend some more time in the sea together before you all go back home?"

"Sounds like a blast. Let's see how well I can swim!" Drac's vanity came straight back as he and Meluscine both flew out into the deep water together.

Both Drac and Meluscine landed with a splash as they sank beneath the water, then sprouted their heads out of the water again with giggles. After which, Drac decided to swim all the way out. He was still caught off-guard by the cold water, but he was determined to see whether he could add some new 'moves' to his repertoire of moves that had moves. To Drac, he was swimming slowly due to his lack of expertise, but neither he or Meluscine seemed to mind, as the both of them were doing it together; swimming through the night, shadows dancing on the edge of the water if you looked at them from the shore. And every so often, both of them disappeared, for both of them dove beneath the water to see what other beautiful things they could see on the seafloor. Fish, plants, rock formations, the lot. The floor of the sea was their playground, and both of them played their little hearts out.

* * *

Eventually, it was time for everyone to go. The towels had been packed away, the Super Monsters and their teachers were all back aboard Grrbus, and Grrbus was already making his way back to Pitchfork Pines, flapping his titanic steel wings through the sky. Drac and Meluscine, however, were flying together outside of Grrbus, Once they breached the trees, the two of them flew together until they both found Crystal Lake again. Then, Drac and Meluscine descended beneath the trees and Drac accompanied Meluscine back to the island in the middle of the lake.

"Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye again, Meluscine." Drac replied as he watched Meluscine take a seat on the greenery just above the waters. "Goodbye for now, that is. Not forever."

"Feel free to come back and visit me whenever you want, Drac. That is, unless I come and see you first." she smirked as she reached her hand out for a high-five; one that Drac immediately reciprocated with a high-five of his own. After which, Meluscine tumbled into the waters of Crystal Lake and started to swim off, making a few leaps around the lake. "Bye!" She waved Drac off.

"Heh. Goodbye, Meluscine." Drac waved her back, and once she submerged underneath the water again, Drac thought about home. He thought about the pre-school and, in doing so, his powers warped him straight there, back to the curb of the cul-de-sac. He watched as Grrbus appeared on the horizon, landed back on the ground, and gently rolled up to the curb once again. As soon as he stopped, Drac stepped aside and watched as one by one, the three teachers and the other Super Monsters all climbed off of the sentient bus, all chattering about what a wonderful night they had all spent.

"So, how'd it go, Drac?" Spike asked as he noticed Drac's smile. "Did it all go good with Meluscine?"

"Yep." Drac gave a nod. "She's here to stay. And, who knows? She might even come and visit us every now and again."

"That's great! I think it'd be wonderful to introduce her to some of the things we do up here on land some day." Cleo gave a nod.

"Oh, I can't wait to see what she thinks of all of our other monster pets..." Katya swooned at the thought of it all.

"And all the great food too!" Olive barked up.

The other Super Monsters all shared a laugh with each other as they turned towards the horizon, where the sun was just starting to climb over the distance once again. This night was over, and now it was time for them to all return to their human forms. "Sun Up!" They all called out at once as they were swallowed by light again, which quickly burst away to reveal all of their diurnal, human selves again. "Super Monsters!" They all declared as they bathed in the sun's warm rays once again.

Back in his morning self, Drac looked out towards the treetops one more time, thinking about Meluscine, and how he was relieved to have her staying in Pitchfork Pines. He was already starting to brainstorm about all the things he and her could do together the next time the moon came up. "See you soon, Meluscine..." He said to himself.


	4. Super-Duper Monsters!

It was another day about to burst into night in the village of Pitchfork Pines, and tonight, Drac, Katya, Lobo, Frankie, Zoe, Cleo, Spike, and Vida were all standing outside of the library, waiting patiently at the bottom of the steps for the moon to rise. While they were there, the eight of them were all talking to Vida about the thrill about reading books under the moonlight, since it was one of their favourite pastimes. Especially with the kind of things that always happened whenever they came to the library.

"Wow... So stories really come to life here?" Vida asked, as she gazed at the other still-human kids.

"Yep! Whatever story you wanna read under the moon, it'll come to life and you'll get to be one of the characters!" Drac eagerly nodded, remembering all the fun times that he had spent at the library. "Whether you're being a super-brave Musketeer or fighting off squids in space, there's no limit to what you can do here!"

"And, if you're lucky, some friendly faces from those stories might come and see you too." Katya giggled lightly, remembering the time her cat Henri had donned the guise of Puss in Boots.

"And it's not just hard books, Vida." Cleo lifted a finger. "You can even read through a comic book and the magic still works," she added. "It made the Penny Dreadful comics all the better when I first found that out."

"That sounds amazing!" Vida clenched her hands into fists and gave a big grin. "I wonder what kind of stories I'll find inside..." She turned a glance to the library. From where she was standing, she was tiny in comparison to the monolithic structure. She could only imagine what kind of wonders she would be subjected to once inside.

"If you like, maybe we could help you with that," Frankie offered a hand to Vida.

"Oh yes. There's bound to be something that we can all enjoy together, Vida." Zoe added her voice to the conversation.

"I hope there is." Vida nodded. "I haven't read a whole lot of books since I moved here, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you all like to read."

"But before we do that, there's one last little thing we need to take care of first, cuz..." Lobo held onto Vida's shoulder and turned her in the direction of the sun, which was just starting to disappear over the horizon.

"Oh yeah! Our favourite time of the day!" Vida's eyes gleamed as she watched the sun sink over the edge of the horizon. "Sun Down..."

"Monsters Up!" The other children joined in and, like all the other times, were engulfed in their waves of light. And I'm sure that by now, you already know the rules, so I'll just cut to the chase. "Super Monsters!" The children all exclaimed as they emerged from their little lightsnow, as their nocturnal, monster forms.

Their little preparation complete, the eight Super Monsters, accompanied as always by Igor and Ms. Esmie, strolled all the way up the stairs towards the doors of the library. Once they made their way up to the top and opened the doors, they found someone was waiting for them inside. With her grey hair and yellow glasses, it was none other than Mrs. Carradine, the custodian of the library. Behind her were a series of colossal bookcases, taller than anyone in the room, even the grown-ups. Books of all shapes and colours could be seen on each shelf, with glowing lamps lighting up the otherwise darkened halls, with the light of the moon shining through the windows near the rooftops.

"Hello, Super Monsters!" Mrs. Carradine greeted the kids with a welcoming smile, holding her hands together.

"Hi, Mrs. Carradine!" The group of Super Monsters all greeted together, minus Vida, since she was still new to the concept of the library of Pitchfork Pines.

"Good evening, Mrs. Carradine." Igor greeted her formally, with a shake of her hand. "I hope it's not a bother that we're dropping by for a visit tonight?"

"Oh, not at all. It's always a pleasure whenever you and Ms. Esmie bring the Super Monsters for a visit." Mrs. Carradine was about to step aside when she remembered something. "Oh! Speaking of which, you're just in time. I've received a rather special delivery..."

"A special delivery? Ooh, what is it, what is it?" Lobo was zipping all around Mrs. Carradine to see if he could find the delivery he was talking about.

Mrs. Carradine chuckled and tousled the fur on Lobo's head. "Oh, I'm not wearing it, Lobo. Let me show you and the others exactly what I had delivered..." And with that, she turned towards the library and walked back inside, prompting the other Super Monsters to follow after her.

"I wonder what Mrs. Carradine got delivered..." Frankie was already trying to think of what Mrs. Carradine might have received. "Ya think she got some new books?"

"Oh, that'd be wonderful if she did." Zoe turned to Frankie. "You think she got some fairytales? Or maybe some more space stories? Or maybe she got something that's read in rhyme!"

"But don't forget all the classics." Spike lifted his little claw. "There's nothing wrong with going back to the stuff you really, really, REALLY love. Especially if it's your favourite story in the whole wide world. Like Buster and Zane..."

"Or Space Squid Invaders..." Drac chimed in.

"The Penny Dreadful stories..." Cleo threw her voice in as well.

"Puss in Boots and the Three Musketeers..." said Lobo.

"Or Alice in Wonderland," Katya finished. "There's bound to be something in here that you love reading, Vida."

"It sure sounds like it," Vida just nodded, since she had read books before, but never actually partook in a session in the library before. "So, if I were to read Through the Looking Glass in here, all the characters would come out of the book? Like the Unicorn and the Lion?"

"Yeah! Them and all of the others! Even that big, bad Jabberwocky too!" Lobo explained to Vida.

"Oh yes, Vida. There's all sorts of things to find in the books here. But I think you're all gonna like the look of this particular story." Mrs. Carradine finally arrived at a pedestal, illuminated by a thin, wide green lamp. There, sitting on said pedestal was a book that looked and felt like a comic book. However, to the Super Monsters' surprise, when they looked at the book, it was completely empty. The front cover, back, even the pages inside from first to last were completely devoid of anything. It might as well have been a stack of paper.

"Uh, Mrs. Carradine? Is this the special delivery?" Drac asked, plucking the barren book from its' pedestal. "It looks like the guys and gals didn't even bother to add anything..."

"Yeah, it's all just paper, isn't it?" Cleo examined the empty book as well, trying to find anything that she or the other Super Monsters could use to figure out what exactly it was.

"What gives?" Spike asked, as he too laid his eyes on the empty books.

"You'd think so, but this is actually a very special book..." Mrs. Carradine laid a hand on the blank book. "This book comes to life with your own imagination. When there's a lot of imagination, then the book comes to life. And who has a better imagination than the Super Monsters?"

"Well, we do have a lot of imagination." Katya chuckled as she took a hold of the book. "But what kind of imagination do you mean, Mrs. Carradine?"

"All you need to do is think of a story. Any story. It can be a fairytale, a comic book, anything your little minds can think of. Then, as if by magic, you'll have it." Mrs. Carradine slammed her hands together. " A whole new story!"

"Whoa..." The Super Monsters took one more look at the book, suddenly finding much more value in it.

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's get going!" Lobo darted off towards an armchair in the corner of the library, with the other Super Monsters giving chase to him, all sharing giggles with each other, while the three grown-ups hung back and stood together.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I would've thought that book was more than just an imaginary book." Igor took one last look at the book before the Super Monsters all gathered together around the chair. "Ms. Carradine, what other magical powers does that book have?"

"Oh, don't worry. The Super Monsters are all going to be perfectly fine. Whatever they come up with, I'm sure that they'll have the time of their lives. And if a problem comes up, they have their superpowers to solve it." Mrs. Carradine lifted a finger. "Don't worry about a thing..."

"I sure hope you're right. The Super Monsters' imaginations can be pretty wild." Ms. Esmie couldn't help but feel a little worried as she watched the Super Monsters brainstorm ideas for their new story. "If something happens to them, it would be heart-breaking."

"So, what kind of story should we make?" Spike asked, as he watched Lobo getting comfortable in the armchair. "Oh, oh, oh? Maybe a whole new Buster and Zane story?"

"Well, doesn't that just mean there'd only be two main characters?" Katya lifted a brow as she turned to Spike.

"W-well, yeah, but uh..." Spike blushed nervously at each cheek.

"See, I was thinking of a story where all of us could be involved." Katya looked around. "A story with eight characters, so that way, all of us get a chance to have some fun together."

"I mean, that does sound like a better idea, Spike. You have to admit," Frankie laid a hand on Spike's shoulder. "As much as we do love those stories, I think it would be more fun if _all of us_ were part of it; not just you and me."

"Maybe we should make a fairytale." Zoe lifted a finger. "A story about a princess, some knights, a big dragon, and a big adventure to find a mystical treasure?"

"It does sound like it'd be able to have all of us play a part..." Drac stroked his chin. "Maybe we could have a lot of action? Some awesome stunts? Things where I could really show off my moves?"

"It's not just about you, Drac." Cleo chuckled. "Everyone else needs to be just as important too, y'know. Maybe we could have a story with some bad guys in it too? Just like the ones that Penny Dreadful always fights off."

"Do ya think our superpowers could also be part of the story too?" Lobo asked. "I wanna run as fast as I can around whatever fun story we come up with!"

"Oh, Lobo. I'm sure that no matter what story we come up with, that we'll have the time of our lives." Vida patted Lobo on the back, then felt an idea come into her mind. "Hey... I think I might have an idea. What about a Super Monsters story? A storya ll about us?"

"All about us? Who'd wanna read that? I mean, we all know how awesome we all are." Drac folded his hands. "I don't think we're ready for the book side of it all yet."

"Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be a story about us. Just a super story," Spike flapped his wings, lifting himself off of the ground. "I mean, think about it. We're the Super Monsters, so I'm sure that we'll create a _super_ story together!"

"Super... Super..." Zoe was starting to think, letting the word bounce around in her brain. "Spike! That's it! A 'super' story!"

"Yeah. A super story! That's gotta be it!" Cleo could only make some vague interpretations based off of the connotations of it being a super story. "A super story for the Super Monsters! That's brilliant!"

"Totally!" Drac nodded. "If it's a super story, then my moves are gonna become super moves! Oh, I can't wait!"

The other Super Monsters all talked in agreement, their brains already whirring away with ideas on what a super story could entail, though, deep down, Zoe was the only one who knew where this was going. Eventually, when their group talk came to an end, Lobo finally stood up on the armchair and declared.

"Alright. Looks like it's settled then," he said. "The story that we're gonna make with this book will be..."

"A super story!" The other children all spoke at once.

Once the declaration happened, the blank book started to glow with light. It floated out of Lobo's hands and hung in the air. The Super Monsters all gathered underneath the book, putting their hands up to try and shield their eyes from the light as they tried to make sense of what was happening. Then, before any of them could say anything, the light became more radiant, and cast a mighty beam of it down onto the Super Monsters. They all flinched at the sight of it, and felt some magic run across their bodies. Then, after it had subsided, the book started to suck them in, like a black hole would suck in light. One by one, the Super Monsters were plucked from the ground like fresh berries into the pages of the book, disappearing in the blinding light one after another. As they disappeared, their clothes miraculously started to change, not that anyone would be around to see them, as at last, all eight of them disappeared. Once the Super Monsters were gone from that plane of existence, the book's light faded and dimmed, until it disappeared, and the now blank book flopped to the ground like a lifeless ragdoll.

"Kiddos!" Igor looked aghast at the sight, and rushed over towards the book, opening it wide to see if he could find anything about what had happened. "Oh, come on, come on... where are you?!" Frenziedly, he flipped the pages, but nothing happened. At least, nothing that he could see.

"What happened, Mrs. Carradine?!" Ms. Esmie turned to face the librarian at long last. "Where did the Super Monsters go?!"

"Oh, they're quite alright. If you could just calm down for a second, Igor." Mrs. Carradine walked forward, pushed down on Igor's shoulders with her hands, and watched as he dropped the open book to the ground, where it magically flipped back to the first page and glowed with more light. "Look. The story's just beginning..."

The three adults all stood together and watched as the book's light was accompanied with colours and vibrance. The first page was beginning to come to life, with comic-strip panels dotting up the space where there was once white nothingness. It depicted an illustration of a city at night, with a view from the rooftops. That very same illustration was then coloured in without anyone having to do anything, as the panels of the strip were spawning dialogue.

"What... is this?" both Igor and Ms. Esmie asked together, as they looked down at the book as it formed the beginning of this new tale that the Super Monsters had all been sucked into.

* * *

It was a cold night on the city of Duskville, sounds of shattering glass, screams, and other such noises that would only be heard on nights like this filled through the town. Spotlights turned on and beamed to the sky, depicting a diamond logo with the letters SDM on it. Down below on the streets, it didn't seem like there was all that much going on. That was until a car sped down the road with police vehicles on its' tail, screaming into the other corners of town, never to be seen again. There was no wind, and the stars were swallowed up by the air pollution from the bright neon city beneath the rooftops.

A small hole opened up near the rooftops and spat out the Super Monsters one by one, landing on their faces, bellies, butts, and any other part of their body that wasn't their feet. None of them had noticed that their clothes had changed, and in some cases, their entire heads had been given an overhaul.  
  
Drac's face was half-covered by a grey cowl, but his hair was still poking out of the back of it. He still had his vampire ears, but now a second pair of batlike ears could be seen sticking out of the top of his cowl. Where he once had his suit, there was now a purple and black attire with vampire bat logos shown on the chest, arms, and cape. A bat from each side, and one from above, bearing its' fangs downward. A belt was tightly secured around his waist. And on it, a myriad of devices, each with different shapes and sizes. And, on the topic of vampire bats, a bat-shaped buckle held it all in place. His hands and feet were now concealed by black gloves which also had some gadgets woven into the sides.

Katya's hat was still in its' place, but it had neon stripes running around the edges of it. A pink mask was worn around her eyes, tied up neatly at the back of her head. Katya's clothes had now become part of her body, as her hands and feet were lost in the pattern of blue, with stars on it. She was still holding on firmly to her wand, which overflowed with magical energy. It seemed like a single wave and she would be able to perform a really powerful spell. She too had a belt around her waist, but it was more in line with stars and the moon as the pattern that ran along it. It had no gadgets, but a large star served as the buckle.

Lobo wore a full blue suit with a yellow strip of lightning running all the way along it. His hands, legs, back, chest, and head was now draped in this new shade, with his furry hair tucked away under the top of the cowl that he now wore. Unlike Drac's cowl, two more lightning strips popped out where the ears would be, and it was fused to the rest of his suit, as opposed to being a separate part of it. Lobo's feet were already moving as if he was running, and as they run, they generated tiny little electrical currents between each other. Another buckle was on his belt, which was the same blue with yellow-lightning design. And a similar lightning bolt helt it together.

Frankie's new suit was more in plates than the other Super Monsters' were. There were plates for his shoulders, chest, legs, arms, even his back. All the plates were green and looked like they were cracking He also wore a mask; one that was purple and coiled around his eyes, tied up tightly at the back. His design was the most plain out of the whole team, as only the last thing worth nothing was his belt buckle, which looked like a pair of fists smashing into each other, like a brute.

Zoe's suit was more in line with her rainbow-coloured art-lovers aesthetic. Her freely-flowing rainbow-coloured dreadlocks now extended down across her new rainbow-patterned cape, which was also rainbow-coloured. A rainbow-coloured mask adorned her face and she was now wearing a suit that was akin to those rainbow-coloured spiral shirts that hippies normally wore, with a cartoon-like artist looking remarkably like Zoe depicted on it. In Zoe's hands there was now a paintbrush with all the colours of the rainbow adorning the brush, and there was also a small, solid cuboid resting in her other hand, most likely to paint on. Her buckle was a paintbrush, held together firmly when the buckle was locked in.

As for Cleo's suit, her headdress was gone, and in its' place, she had her own special updraft that was making her hair flutter and thrash about, as if it were caught in a storm. She still wore a mask, which was white as the bandages on her body. Bandages that could still be shown around her neck, and around the ends of the sleeves of her new suit. Now, she was wearing a sky-blue suit with images of winds painted along the side, and lightning in the shape of a pair of the letter 'T'. Cleo also wore a cape, but it showed clouds being whipped away in a ferocious tornado, with a white diamond showing golden letters marked "TT." Like before, a buckle held her suit together.

Spike's outfit was a full shade of purple, with cloud patterns across it that had black outlines. Akin to the purple clouds that he always conjured into being whenever he let out one of his roars. His wings still poked out of the back of his new suit, but they too were dressed up in the purple suit's theming. He donned a purple mask that looked like a dragon's eyes would, and he looked down and saw that his feet were in a pair of tough boots that looked like proper dragon's claws. Speaking of his claws, Spike's hands were also draped, but they had a black pattern running down the bottom of his arms, looking like a dragon's scales. A similar pattern could be seen on his legs and his back. And finally, his belt buckle was a cloud, obviously.

Finally, Vida. Vida's hair stayed relatively the same, except now, there were glowing green stripes running all along it, down to the end of each of her purple locks, in a similar manner to how Katya's blonde hair had its' pink strips running down the middle of it. On her hands were a pair of tight-fitting gardener's gloves. In a shade of green complete with glowing pads that looked like they were part of a motion-capture suit. Slender green vines coiled around Vida's new suit and even wrapped around her face in the form of a superhero's mask. Her arms, legs, front, and back were ensnared by the vines. Almost to the point where nobody could see the purple and white suit beneath it all. The vines didn't stop her belt, however, which had a flower holding it together.

"Ugh..." Drac groaned as he finally pushed himself to his feet and looked around the new cityscape. "Wh-where are we?" He looked around, trying to see if he could make any sense of his new surroundings. He looked to the left, to the right, and down below, but all of it was somewhere he had never been before. "H-hey, wait, where are my friends?!" he realised, looking around in a panic. He was about to call out for the rest of the Super Monsters when he looked behind him. "Hey, guys? What do you thi—" And that's when he saw it. The rest of the Super Monsters in their superhero-like attire. He stopped talking, as he could only let out noises of surprise and shock. "Wh-what are you wearing?!"

The sound of Drac's shock was enough to free the other Super Monsters from their state. One by one, they all stood back up and dusted themselves down from such a rough landing. One by one, they took a look at their new clothes and made similar gasps of shock and surprise at what they had become.

"Did I somehow change before I came out?" Lobo asked as he frisked himself, looking himself over from top to bottom. "I don't remember ever having anything like this in my closet. Mama, Papa, or Abuelita would've told me if I did..."

"I dunno, Lobo. But it sure doesn't look like your usual clothes." Vida noticed Lobo's new get-up, then looked down at her own, and all of the vines around it. "And I don't remember this at all!" She threw her arms and legs outward, feeling her body up and down, unaware that in touching the vines, they started to grow and grow, stretching out the long, green tendrils. Vida yelped and pulled her hands off of the vines, making them instantly shrink back around her. "What's going on?!"

"I don't know. But I've got the urge to... Oh no." Spike could barely hold it in anymore. He simply had to let it out. A ferocious roar escaped from his lips, and as it did, a giant, thick cover of purple clouds filled the air, drifting off into the skies beyond. The cloud dissipated once it got far away, spreading mist down into the town below. "Whoa... That was a big one."

"Y-yeah. It's not like your normal dragon clouds, Spike." Cleo gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"I think all of our powers might have gotten a boost..." Katya looked down at her wand, seeing the raw magic spilling out of the end. "Oh, I'm not even sure if I _want_ to try and cast a spell to find out. It looks like I could blast the whole city away if I'm not careful."

All of a sudden, the Super Monsters all heard a noise. And they ran to the edge of the building and looked down to the ground. There, below them, a crime was in progress. A bank was being raided, and the thieves were taking their ill-gotten booty away, stashing it into an armoured car. Thick masks could be seen on their faces and gloves were on their arms. The car drove away as fast as it could, but before it could make a turn, something happened. A gigantic rubber band appeared between the two lampposts on the road, which bounced the car backwards into a mattress, turning it over onto its' side. Lastly, a cage materialised around it.

Zoe let out a chuckle, prompting the other Super Monsters to turn to face her. They saw that she had been painting on that little canvas she had been holding onto. Sure enough, they could see a rubber band, a mattress, and a cage on it, all in the same pattern as the ones that had appeared on the streets. "Don't worry, everyone. I know exactly what this is."

"Can you explain it to us?" Frankie asked. "How come you've got exactly what's on there—" He pointed at Zoe's canvas "—as the stuff down there?" Frankie turned his finger towards the scene.

"Well, we were saying super an awful lot back there when we were brainstorming our ideas. So I looked at all of our suits and put two and two together." Zoe let another giggle escape her lips. "Masks and capes, crimes in progress, new powers for us to play with, it all adds up. We're not just Super Monsters anymore. We're super **heroes!** "

"Superheroes?" Frankie took one look at each of his compatriots, looking specifically at the clothes they were adorned with. "Oh, yeah... Now, I think I see it."

"Mmhmm." Zoe gave a nod. "Now, before we go off and find more crimes to put a stop to, we need some new superhero names." She put down her pad and paintbrush for a second, hobbling forward. "We can't just call ourselves by our names all the time in this strange, new world."

"Superhero names, huh? Well, I think I've got a pretty good idea about what I wanna call myself..." Drac looked down at his clothes. "From now on, I am no longer Drac Shadows. Instead, I'll be called Bat Boy! Champ of the night, going bad guys a fright!"

Katya giggled slightly. "I wonder what made you think of that, Drac?" She joked, then thought about her hero identity. "Ooh, speaking of wonder, that's made me think of something. You can just call me..." She did a spiral on the spot, causing a surge of magic to rise up from the ground. "Wonder-Witch!" She declared, with the words saying the same thing that she was saying.

"Well, let me just get a feel for my new superpowers..." Lobo said, then without another word, he sped off so fast that he left behind a trail of blue and yellow in his wake. He zipped all around the town and back, then returned, crackling with electricity. "Hmm, yeah. I think I got an idea for my new name. You can just call me Furry Lightning!" He threw his arms out to the side, discharging the electricity he had gathered on his run.

"Who-ho-hoa, Lobo! That was cool!" Frankie complimented, catching some of the lightning, which made his hair stand up. "Let me see if I can try something like that!" He jumped over the edge, then said it. "Mega-Size!" But, unlike his usual size-ups, Frankie grew exponentially bigger than usual. He was the size of a skyscraper once he landed, barely even feeling the impact as he left his mark on the ground below. His clothes stayed the same and didn't rip whatsoever. Rather, they adapted to fit his new size. "Guess that settles it, then. I'm gonna be called Green Giant!" He raised a fist to the sky, then grabbed onto the top of the skyscraper and pulled himself back up, shrinking back to his regular size once he landed.

"I've already come up with a name for myself. You've probably already seen me in action, but let me show you again." Zoe took out her canvas and her paintbrush. Twirling the brush around, she painted something down on the little canvas, making it come to life behind her. She spawned a plush armchair with her name sewn into the top of the backrest. "From this day forth, I am no longer Zoe Walker. I shall be the ever-so-colourful vigilante, Paint Pal!"

"Well, if we're gonna be superheroes, we've gotta have super names, right?" Cleo used her wind powers as usual, but now she herself levitated off of the ground as she cast her newly augmented powers. She pushed her hands out and sent little balls of wind out towards the ground which exploded out and blasted wind in all directions around it. Cleo looked down at her clothes and saw the lightning bolt letter T on it. "Hmm... That can work. I know! My superhero name'll be Tiny Typhoon!"

"I already got a name! Cloud Kid!" Spike blurted out, getting some glances from the other Super Monsters. "What? I'm a kid who makes clouds. Made some pretty big ones back there." He nervously gestured to where his cloud-bomb had gone off. "And I can't really think of anything dragon-y for my hero name, so..." He could only give off sheepish chuckles.

"I suppose that I need a new name for myself, huh?" Vida looked down at the vines around her body, then to the gloves on her hands. Factoring everything that she had seen, she could only really think of one particular name, both because it was her literal attire and because of her plant magic. "How does Greenfingers sound? Not too on the nose?"

"I think it's lovely, Vida. And rather creative too. It plays off of your plant magic, doesn't it?" Zoe asked with a grin.

"Yeah. I like it." Drac gave a nod. "Not as much as I like Bat Boy, but you've got a nice superhero name, Vida."

"I think it suits you." Katya gave a nod. "Your gonna be the best plant-magic-using superhero ever!"

But before anyone else could make any more compliments, another crime was happening in the distance. An explosion rang out, and smoke was beginning to climb over the rooftops. All of the Super Monsters could see it, and they knew that they had to act fast to stop whatever was going on right away and fix the problem.

"Come on! We have to go!" Zoe, with her new persona named, started painting bridges on her tablet, ones that then magically appeared before the Super Monsters. Sure enough, there was a connecting line for all of them to speed across to get to the scene of the crime. Zoe lead the charge, proclaiming "Super-Duper Monsters, away!"

"Super-Duper Monsters?" They all asked Zoe as she made her way across.

"Yeah! Our team name." She nodded. "I think it fits us, don't you think?" Then, she continued running off, leaving the others behind.

"Let's do it, then!" Cleo kicked up a ferocious storm around herself, using it to lift her off of the ground. She laughed as the wind hoisted her up into the air.

"Right!" Katya gave a nod and lifted her free hand upward, summoning her trusty broomstick. It zipped into her hands and stopped the moment her hand clamped down on it. Katya then clambered on and got comfortable in the saddle, ready to speed off to the rescue.

The group all looked at each other, gave a nod, and then repeated what Zoe had said. "Super-Duper Monsters, away!" And as fast as they could, they scampered off as fast as they could. Flying, speeding, and general running were all exhibited by these eight superhero children as they went off to whatever danger was waiting for them.

* * *

Down on the ground, fires were emerging from a factory, with some uniformed thugs hauling out large batteries in pairs. The batteries themselves had a green, oozy liquid inside, visible through a clear glass pane. The ooze sloshed around as the muscle men effortlessly carried them away, loading them up on a large armoured truck. One by one, in a neatly-organised fashion, the equipment they needed was set into place.

"Oi, how many of these do ya think the boss'll need?" One of the men asked.

"This should be enough. Some for the machine, others for insurance, and the rest for a potential raise." A second goon asked. "Still, don't really see the method behind his little plan."

"Eh, who cares?" A third henchman shrugged as he stuffed another battery inside the vehicle. "As long as the pay's good, I don't ask questions. He wants batteries, he gets batteries. Simple as."

But as soon as the men shut the doors, they heard a voice cut through the darkness. "Stop right there, vile fiends!"

"Wh-what?!" One of the men jumped in shock and took up a combat-ready posture, as he and the others looked around for the kid who had made the voice. "Who's there? Don't think we won't 'arm you because we can't see you, alright?"

"Hehehehe..." Drac sniggered as he zipped around the raised walls of the factory, looking down at the men, who had stopped what they were doing and were all trying their best to find who said that. "Now, what do we have here? Giant batteries? You trying to power some kinda flashlight with them?"

"None o' your beeswax, squirt!" A goon spat at the darkness. "Show yourself!"

"Well then, shall we?" Drac finally appeared, a shadow in the skies. He pulled out what looked like a boomerang, then split them apart so that it was three separate boomerangs, all shaped like bats. He then tossed said projectiles towards the men, hitting them in their chests and causing them to back off. He then teleported and performed a heroic uppercut on the staggered goons, swooping into the air. "Bat Boy!" He declared.

The men tumbled and rolled, then leered at the vampire kid as he was plucking his boomerangs. They were about to come charging in on the flying visitor when the ground beneath them was suddenly coated in banana peels thanks to a shower of pink magical bolts. The men slipped and slid around before at last, the tail end of a broomstick came swooping down and batted them away. "Wonder-Witch!" Katya cried as she sped past the hurtling men.

It was then that Lobo dashed forward as fast as he could, making a little blue and yellow tornado around the men with how fast he was running. Lightning generated all around it, lightning that gave the men an electric shock so powerful that it launched them back towards their car. "Furry Lightning!" Lobo announced himself as he leapt and darted around, leaving behind his lightspeed contrails.

The goons never even hit the ground, as now, they found themselves in a giant pair of green hands. As they tried to shake off the disorientation, it was then that they saw the kid behind the hands. A colossal Frankie was keeping them from the ground. "Green Giant!" he called, lobbing them all high into the air, far above his head, wherein they all cried out in fear, shock, awe, and for their mommies.

As the thugs took their fall, Zoe took her next move. She painted down on her canvas once again, causing a web of sticky, gooey taffy to string out from the walls and catch the men as they fell, while also gumming them up in the gungy, pink confectionary. As they landed in a gummy mess by her feet, she bowed before them and said, "Paint Pal!" Twirling her brush heroically before them.

But it wasn't over for those unfortunate men yet, as next, a hurricane swept the gunky mess they were in off of the ground. It suspended them in midair before twirling them around and around in a tornado. One so thick that it blotted out the world around them. The wind also blew away their mess, and then Cleo appeared high in the air above them. "Tiny Typhoon!" She cried out, letting a powerful surge of wind spit forward, sending the men careening back to the ground like stones.

And again, before they touched the ground, another thing caught them in their fall. This time, it was a large, puffy purple cloud. One of the ones that Spike had made, except much bigger and dense than before. The cloud slowed their fall, but it didn't stop it entirely. They all plopped out of the bottom of the cloud, before landing on another cloud; one that smothered them up whole. "Cloud Kid!" Spike called through the thick, purple mass as it started to burst, revealing who the mysterious child really was.

Finally, some large green vines sprouted out from the ground, dancing through the air and twirling, growing ever so large in size as they wrapped around the men. Caught in the grassy chokehold, the men writhed and squirmed, until at last, they were tied to the very vehicle that they were trying to load their haul onto. When at last they were given the chance to see who had done such a thing to them, they saw Vida, lifted off of the ground by her vines. "Greenfingers!" She announced herself as the vines brought her back over to the rest of her team.

"And together, we are..." Zoe started as the rest of her team took their positions and posed heroically.

"The Super-Duper Monsters!" They all shouted together, as loudly as they could, letting the men know just who they were dealing with. And how much trouble they were in.

"So, what exactly were you up to here, boys?" Cleo floated over towards the still-open truck that the men were bound to and noticed the batteries that they had stashed. She wrapped her wind around one of them and lifted it out for the rest of her team to examine. "Hey, everyone? Do you know what this is?" asked Cleo as she laid down the battery.

"It looks like some kind of battery. I don't exactly know what it's meant to power, but if they were stealing it—lots of them, then it can't exactly be good." Zoe noticed the rest of the batteries that the men had tried to abscond with. "Hey, just what were you trying to pull with this kind of stunt?" She turned her attention to the men again.

"Like we'd tell you what the boss's plans were." One of the men struggled around in the mess that he was in, then finally made it to something on his pocket. A button was pushed and, all of a sudden, the wheels of the vehicle the men were strapped to began spinning its' wheels. As it lurched forward, Vida's vines tried to keep it restrained, but the force of the vehicle was too strong and the vines started to creak. It snapped and the men were finally free from Vida's clutches.

"See ya later, kiddies!" One of the released grunts taunted as he jumped back into the vehicle, with the others still clinging onto the ends. "Hope you don't fall asleep on us now!" As the men drove off into the distance, other armoured vehicles joined the convoy, making a defensive caravan to safeguard the batteries they had plundered.

"H-hey!" Drac saw the cars speed off. He then let out a frustrated groan and shook his head. "We can't let them get away!" And before the others could say anything, he darted off after the cars as fast as his flight powers would let him.

"Super-Duper Monsters?" Katya lead the rally for the others.

"Get those bad guys!" The rest of the group all called out at once, then rushed off as fast as they could after the convoy of armoured cars.

Through the streets of Duskville, the cars raced forward, their wheels screaming horrifically as they spun, burning rubber on the ground that they so rode on. The rest of the vehicles stood close by, almost in the same fashion that police cars would use to trap escaping cars. This time, however, the pattern was used as a defence for the goods that the men had stolen from the factory. More thugs looked out of the rear mirrors to see if the Super-Duper Monsters had given chase, while the ones with the stash of batteries all looked over their ill-gotten bounty.

"All troops, be on your guard. Those little ones weren't just your average tots," one of the men called through a radio. "Our top priority is delivering these batteries. Deploy countermeasures if the situation falls out of control. Do whatever you can to shake those toddlers and make sure that the boss gets his goods."

"Uh, sir? You're gonna wanna speed up!" One of the goons said, while gesturing to the rear door. Sure enough, he could see the blue and yellow contrail of Lobo, zipping all around the streets, ready to strike. "They're fast, these kids!"

"How?!" He lurched at the sight of Lobo speeding towards him. Once he finished talking, the convoy sped up, as the drivers collectively slammed their feet down on the gas pedals as hard as they could. The speed at which they were starting to barrel down the streets was excessively dangerous. If there were any civilians around, there would be trouble.

No matter how fast the men drove along, they were horribly outmatched in terms of speed. As soon as they reached the top speed for their cars, Lobo had made contact. His augmented super speed (which, bear in mind, he was already very fast you know) was now so strong that merely touching the cars was enough to send them into chaos. He bounded off of one, then another, and then another, like a lightning-covered pinball. The men were rattled, but they weren't determined, as they drove through Lobo's onslaught.

Drac was watching them from above, looking through his utility belt for something that he could use to put the brakes on these evildoers' schemes. He sorted through a myriad of gadgets, until at last, he found the one he wanted. Smirking, he took out what looked like a marble ball with an obsidian core. He threw it around playfully, then lobbed it at the speeding convoy, which caused it to burst and send a swarm of bats flapping towards the windscreens of the vehicles. The way that the bats flapped about and blurred out the vision of the drivers was enough to cause them to buckle and turn their cars in such a panic that they ended up smashing into walls or into each other, tumbling into a massive pile of debris. Lobo broke away as the chaos went on.

"Call in the Wyverns. These kids are far too strong for a ground exfil..." One of the men groaned as he spoke through his walkie-talkie again, before he and the others tried to leave their vehicles.

Drac warped down to Lobo as he stopped in his tracks, still hopping up and down on the ground as he watched the men scatter out of the overturned cars and trucks. "Look, I don't know what in the heck you want with these things, but stealing is just wrong. Didn't you ever learn that as a kid?" He asked, while smirking.

"Like you could ever understand." One of the men spat, then rushed towards the two Super Monsters with a roar. "C'mere!" He barked as he ran forward.

"Fight scene, huh? Good thing this is all just a story." Drac smirked, pulled out a pair of thin bat boomerangs, warped just as the man wound up a punch and tossed it at him, then reappeared, uppercutting him with said boomerangs, before tossing them out at the two other men who wanted to follow after him. Once the tossed rangs struck their marks, they let out a small burst which knocked the men back.

The men decided to run at the children as a large pack. As soon as they tried it, however, a strong gust of wind bashed against their face, causing them to stop on the balls of their feet and skid as they fought against the suddenly aggressive winds. They all looked into the sky and saw where the wind was coming from. It was Cleo. Even without her board, she was still flying through the air; winds thrashing all around her, keeping her aloft. Giggling to herself—which nobody but herself could hear because of the wind—she thrust her arms forward to send a powerful white orb of wind towards the men. It landed dead in the middle of the group, them erupted, blasting the men out like shrapnel.

"Oh, what an awful mess... We'll have to sort that out now, won't we?" Katya said, arriving on the scene on her broomstick. She pulled out her wand and aimed it towards the scattered men, clearing her throat for a spell. " _All these meanies trying to run, so tie them up with something fun!_ " With a swing, a stream of magic burst out and coiled around the men. One after the other, streamers of many colours came shooting out, tying one of the men up, then extending like tentacles to snare another. As the remaining goons saw the scene and tried to flee, they too were trapped by Katya's colourful streamer spell.

"Nice shot, Ka—" Drac stopped himself before he made the classic superhero mistake. "I-I mean, nice shot, Wonder-Witch." He gave her a wink.

Katya saw what Drac was doing and said, "Thanks, Bat Boy." She gave him a wink as well just as the other Super Monsters all arrived at the scene of the crime, looking at the detained cronies, all tied up by Katya's bright and vibrant streamers, struggling to break free.

"Wyvern Sqaud, this is Ground Team, we're pinned down by these... these kids!" One of the men tried to commune with the rest of his cell as he tried to break free from the streamers that bound him. "I don't know how old they are, maybe three or four or something, but they've got superpowers!"

"Preposterous. Nobody at that age could be so powerful," the voice in his earpiece said. "But, if you must insist. Initiating contingency plan. We'll lure those kids away."

"Alright. Now, I think it's question time." Zoe walked up towards the bound and grounded thugs. "Why are you trying to steal these batteries from the factory?"

"Yeah! The people need them for all their lights and power." Spike chimed in. "Don't you know you're only gonna get yourself in trouble by stealing them?"

"Pah! As if tots like you could understand." One of the men snidely remarked. "Besides, what kind of kids like you could understand anyway? You're all pre-school age! Why even bother with messing with affairs for grown-ups?"

"Because there are meanies like you trying to mess things up for everyone. That's why." Frankie said, rubbing his knuckles as he watched the men continue to free themselves. "You don't have to be grown-up to figure out who's doing bad things and needs to stop them."

"Well, how old you might be, you're not gonna stop this." Another man chuckled. And as he stopped, sounds of explosions could be heard, followed by the roaring of jet engines. Sure enough, from above, a squadron of jets with three points—one at the end of the front, and two sticking out of the ends of the wings—soared above the Super Monsters and their captives. "Better get going, Super-Duper Monsters. Before someone gets hurt..."

"What's going on?!" Spike asked, trying to fly up to get a better vantage on the situation.

"Hold on! Let me look..." Zoe, tapping into her actual powers, saw through what she needed to. And, using said powers with binocular vision, she could see that there were fires breaking out, people trapped on vehicles as the bridge had been blown out and was about to collapse, train tracks blasted to bits with oncoming trains approaching the edges, and various other disasters. "The city's in trouble!" Zoe called out as she finally got a handle on everything.

"You..." Cleo scowled back at the men and was just about to charge up another windblast when the other Super Monsters held her back.

"It's us or the town, kiddies. Take your pick." One of the goons mockingly replied with venom in his voice. "What's it to be? Stop us? Or let everyone else down?"

"They're right, Tiny Typhoon. These guys aren't going anywhere. We need to do what we can and fast!" Frankie said, as his hand held onto Cleo's shoulder.

"Right. Right. Sorry, Green Giant." Cleo felt a little bit deflated about how she had lost her temper like that, then turned her focus to the town, but not before she said to the still-trapped goons "You'd better not move while we're gone, alright?"

"Trust us, kid, you've hooked us. Now go on, save the town while you still can." Lied another of the men.

"Right. We need to split up." Zoe said, as she rallied the team together. "Tiny Typhoon, Cloud Kid, Greenfingers, we need you at the bridge, pronto. Bat Boy, Furry Lightning, Green Giant, I need you three to help save the train before it comes off the rails. Wonder-Witch? You're with me. We should be able to put out the fires really fast with our powers."

"Got it!" Lobo gave a nod. "We'll be faster than fast; fast as lightning!"

"We'll try and get everyone to safety!" Vida gave a nod as she elongated the vines coiling around her body.

"Leave it to us!" Drac chimed in.

"We'll save the day!" Spike confidently grinned.

"And do it in style too!" Cleo pitched in.

"Let's go!" Frankie gave a nod.

"Ready when you are, Paint Pal." Katya said, gripping tightly onto her broomstick for the trial ahead.

"Right." Zoe gave a nod. "Super-Duper Monsters..."

"To the rescue!" All eight of them declared at the same time, before they all split off into their respective groups and sped off into their respective groups towards the scenes of the crime. Lobo and Drac left almost instantly, with Frankie growing colossal so as to save time in running. Vida used her vines to slingshot herself across the buildings, with Spike using his wings and Cleo bending the wind to speed her along. Then, at last, Zoe painted a replica of Katya's broom—albeit with rainbow-coloured bristles so as to emulate a paintbrush more than a broom—and flew off with her towards the fires.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the library, Igor, Ms Esmie, and Ms Carradine were all paying close attention to the story. Sure enough, everything that the Super Monsters had been doing within the book was being translated into the pages of the book, with full-colour illustrations and quotation panels that showed what they were saying and when they were saying it, very similar as to how a comic book would read out. As it transpired within the world, more and more of the blank pages were being filled in.

"Interesting..." Igor noticed the book as it was progressively being filled with page after page of content. "So, the Super Monsters are in the story itself? Well, that is a new one."

"Indeed." Ms. Esmie couldn't help but try and piece together the rest of the details. "Do you think it's like before? Will the Super Monsters have to make an ending to the story before they can come home again?"

"That's what I'd agree on, yes. If it's anything like the rest of the stories they've read out, then I would say yes." Ms Carradine replied as she looked around the library; thinking back to the other times that the Super Monsters had graced its' halls and read its' many tales. "All they need to do is come up with an ending and carry it out, then they should pop back into the real world."

"They came up with a superhero story, so... I can only assume that means they need to have thought up a supervillain in the process," Ms. Esmie looked back to the chase scene with the crooks that the Super Monsters had been chasing down the roads. "That's how most comic books end, right? With the superheroes battling the supervillains?"

"Mmhmm. I don't read many of those comics myself, but that is usually how it ends in stories like this." Ms Carradine gave a nod. "Well, who or whatever they come up with, the Super Monsters are surely going to save the day. They've got all of their powers on top of these new ones. They're practically unstoppable!"

"I sure hope so..." Ms. Esmie looked back toward the book, seeing the next pages forming before her eyes. "They've never done anything this strenuous before. I just hope it's not too much for them to handle."

"The Super Monsters are definitely going to save the day. After all, it's their story." Ms. Carradine saw the next panels appear before them, with the Super Monsters rushing to the scenes of the disaster. The colours were just being applied, and now, the text boxes were being planted in as well.

* * *

The first scene that was being tended to in the story was the scene on the bridge. People were stranded in the middle of the now-blasted bridge, with the last support creaking and groaning under the unsupported pressure. It wouldn't be long before it too would tumble into the river below. Cleo, Spike, and Vida were just arriving, ready to lend their powers to the situation at hand.

"Don't worry! We'll get you free!" Spike called, as he flapped to the edge of the wrecked bridge and took in a deep breath. Mustering up all of the clouds that he could, Spike let out a ferocious dragon-like roar. And as he did so, a torrent of purple clouds came streaming out of his mouth. The clouds collided ferociously against the bridge. Spike's plan was to create a bridge, but what he didn't realise was that the clouds he was expelling was so powerful that it was causing the middle of the broken bridge to tilt. Vehicles were starting to slide closer and closer towards the edge.

Cleo saw the other side of the bridge and let out a gasp of fright. "Cloud Kid! Be careful!" She shot through the air like a torpedo using her augmented wind powers. She positioned herself over the tilting edge of the building and jabbed both arms forward, sending a powerful wind tunnel out, balancing out the bridge. But what she didn't notice was, that in stabilising the bridge, she was also getting rid of Spike's cloudy stream, blasting it back into his face. He stumbled backwards and fell onto his back. Once Cleo saw that the bridge was stable again, she let out a sigh of relief. But that sigh was soon lost as she saw the bridge was beginning to tip the other way. "Oh no!"

Spike spluttered as he burst out of the cloudy mess that Cleo had made. He saw that the bridge was about to go, and that bridges were about to fall over. "I can't make the clouds in time!" He cried as he watched the bridge teeter more precariously than before.

"Don't worry! I'm here!" Vida slung herself out over the edge, flying above the river below. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright, plant magic... don't fail me now..." She planted her hands down on the vines coiled around herself and thought of channelling all of the power that she could through them. Sure enough, the vines on Vida's body grew at an alarming pace, both in size and in length. Two vines jammed themselves onto the floor while all of the rest sped towards the bridge.

Vehicles and people were already falling over, coupled with screams. Those very same screams prompted both Spike and Cleo to spring into action. Together, the two other superhero Super Monsters swooped in to rescue them. Spike made multiple short roars, which created thick, puffy clouds. One after another, the small clouds caught the falling people and their vehicles, suspending them deftly in the air, a few feet away from the waters below.

"Don't worry, everyone. We're here." Cleo said as she made multiple sweeping motions with her hands, which caused multiple wind gusts to blow from different angles. The clouds were pushed together by Cleo's winds. "The Super-Duper Monsters are gonna save the day!" With all the clouds conglomerating into one large, extra-puffy and supported cloud, Cleo lifted both of her hands upwards, causing a small, spinning tornado to form at the bottom of the cloud; one that pushed it and everyone else back up to the streets.

"Nice catch, Tiny Typhoon!" Spike called from above as he watched her raising the clouds back up.

"Thanks, Cloud Kid, but I couldn't have done this without your clouds." Cleo remarked back as she flew back up to see Spike. "But, uh, in future, could you maybe tone it down a little? The clouds you were roaring nearly toppled the whole thing over..."

"So did your wind, Tiny Typhoon." Spike threw his claw down. Then, he took a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry for what I did, but only if you're sorry for what you did."

"I'm sorry too," Cleo let a sigh out. "I'm not used to having to use our powers to... y'know, actually _save people_? It's more for the stuff we do back home." She looked back and sure enough, she saw that Vida was still trying to materialise her bridge, putting all of her energy into her plant magic. It looked like she was about to faint with how much her hands were trembling trying to grow and maintain the plants.

"Greenfingers!" Both Spike and Cleo exclaimed before racing along to Vida's side. "Are you alright?" They both asked.

"So... much... plant magic..." Vida said between strained groans. The vines were nearly big enough to substitute as bridges in their own right, but it was taking everything out of Vida just to try and keep her in the air.

"Here. Let me help with that." Spike took another deep breath and let another one of his roars escape. He manifested a cloudy platform beneath Vida's feet. One that Cleo used her wind to raise until it met Vida's feet.

"Muchos gracias, Spi—I-I mean Cloud Kid..." Vida replied as she let her feet support her weight. The vines that she had been using to prop herself up retracted and shrank back, allowing her to divert the rest of her energy into finishing the bridge. Vida didn't even watch as the people fled the bridge, running and driving over her vines. As soon as she watched the last ones leave, she passed out, causing the vines to fall back to her side. "Uh... Ay-yi-yi."

"Just take it easy, Greenfingers. We've got you." Cleo used her winds to manoeuvre the cloud back towards the skyscraper. The three airborne heroes flew over the grateful crowd down below, who gave them cheers as they left the scene. Once they were on a rooftop, Spike laid the cloud down, causing it to disappear, which caused Vida to fall down onto her back.

"I'll be fine. I just need to take a little rest." Vida said, shakily trying to stand back up. "I'm not going anywhere in a hurry. Plant magic or not. Oh, if only I had Pipita or Fuego here with me, then this would've been so much easier."

"If you're struggling, then I can only worry about how the others are doing..." Cleo looked over the edge, thinking about the rest of the Super Monsters.

* * *

"Furry Lightning! How much time have we got?" Drac asked as he and Lobo sped along with the train, with Frankie running as fast as his feet could carry him.

"I'll find out!" Lobo darted off in the blink of an eye, then dashed straight back. "Not very long!"

"Doesn't really help much!" Drac said as he looked through the gadgets on his belt, trying to see if there was something that would keep the train from going off of the edge, harming the passengers inside. "Seconds? Minutes?"

"I don't know!" Lobo called back.

"Then can't you find something that can help out? Something that we can use to stop the train before it goes over the edge?" Drac asked.

"I'll try! In the meantime, you and Green Giant better hurry! I see the edge and it doesn't look very nice!" Lobo said, then he sped off once again faster than the human eye could track, leaving only his contrail behind.

"Come on, come on... there's gotta be something here that'll be able to stop the train..." Drac turned his eyes back to the gadgets. "Bat bombs? Like that's gonna help. Bat Cable? Don't know why I even have this if all I do is fly. Bat Coin Hold—Ugh!" Needless to say, he tossed it away. " **This** is why I prefer fight scenes over saving people! I don't have any moves with moves for something like this!"

"C'mon..." Frankie was also sprinting along the train, trying to see if there was any way that he could keep it from going over the edge. The only idea that he could think of was lifting the train off of its' rails, but it was a long train, and he couldn't exactly lift it all by himself without causing the cars to tip and or snap off of the train. He didn't want anyone to get hurt. "Found anything, Bat Boy?"

"I'm trying! Give me a second, okay?!" Drac threw his arms out. "Most of these things are useless for stopping a train, and the rest of it, I could've just left at home. Why'd the book even give me 'em in the first place?!"

"Hang on! Let me try something!" Frankie reached for the rooftops around him and vaulted himself up. He threw himself over the top and shrunk down to regular size to land on the rooftops. He did the same thing over and over, reactively shrinking and growing to traverse the rooftops. Eventually, he could see the place where the tracks had been blown out. He threw himself over the edge and grew back to a colossal size, punching the ground as he landed. A small crater could be left where each of his feet and where his fist had landed. "Oops... Uh... I'm sure that'll be fixed." He blushed, seeing the holes that he had made. But he didn't have time to think about that now, as the train was fast approaching.

No sooner had Frankie seen the oncoming train, when Lobo could be seen rushing back and forth from a spot underneath where the train tracks had been blasted. Lobo had put together a collection of wooden ladders, all stacked up into a pile of ladders. Ladder after ladder was laid down, and once Lobo thought that he had enough, he dashed over to Drac again.

"Bat Boy! Do you have any superglue in that tool belt of yours? Or something that's just as super-sticky?" Lobo asked as fast as he could.

"Let me see..." Drac fiddled through his—mostly useless gadgets and finally took ahold of a black ball with white stripes. "What's this?" He took some more of it and threw it against the wall. The ball burst, revealing a gigantic clump of a white substance. He flapped over and laid his hand on it, then had trouble getting back out of it again. He pulled, struggled, and groaned as hard as he could, trying to break free from the substance, but it was no good. "Yep. This looks like a superglue ball to me, Furry Lightning." He teleported out of the mess and reappeared over Lobo's ladder stockpile.

"Awesome! That means we can work with my super-duper idea!" Lobo grinned from ear to ear as he rubbed his hands together. "Bat Boy, can you make the ends super sticky? We're gonna make a bridge for the train!"

"Oh, I see what you mean. Comin' up!" Drac tossed more of the balls at the ends of the bridge where the train tracks had been blasted to smithereens. Large lumps of adhesive, sticky, gungy glue hung onto the edges. Once the glue was in place, Drac and Lobo both worked as hard as they could to toss up the ladders and put them into place. Drac used the glue again to connect the ladders together and, in due time, there was enough ladders to make a properly-functioning bridge.

"Looks like that's enough..." Drac watched the bridge. For the most part, it looked sturdy enough to carry the train, but there was also one small problem. Under the pressure, the wood creaked and buckled. If the train went over the ladders, they would all fall apart.

"Yeah, but it won't hold!" Lobo was the first to notice it.

"Let me handle it!" Frankie took the initiative and charged past both Drac and Lobo. He watched as the train got closer to him with each passing second, then at the last, he stuffed his hands underneath the amalgamation of ladders and pushed upward as the train rolled over it. With Frankie supporting it from below, the ladders held, and the train rattled on safely over to the other side. "There we go... That was scary." Frankie took deep breaths. And as he did so, he shrunk straight back down to his proper height.

"You okay, Green Giant?" Drac asked.

"It's just so hard to use our powers like this." Frankie threw his arms down to the side. "Always having to think so fast, it's not fun at all!" He grumbled as he folded his arms. As he did so, the ladder above him finally gave way, tumbled down, then smashed on Frankie's head into splinters. He didn't even feel a thing as the wood cascaded around him.

"Believe me, you aren't the only one. This belt is cool and all, but it's totally useless." Drac took off the belt and tossed it to the ground. "So much stuff in here, but it's only handy when it needs to be. That's just not my style at all."

"Well, I'm sure that we'll figure it out..." Lobo gave both Drac and Frankie a pat on the shoulder. "After all, this is a story, right? All we gotta do is save the day and we should be back home with everyone."

"Yeah. As much as I'm gonna miss these sick threads, there's just nothing better than home." Drac looked around. "Now, I wonder how the others are doing..."

* * *

Katya and Zoe were both rushing to the scene of the fires. A mighty, raging pillar of flame was coming out of the majority of the buildings around them. A fire brigade was already on site, trying to get the situation under control, but the upper levels were proving to be a bit of a challenge for them to reach. That was where Katya and Zoe came into play.

"You ready, Wonder-Witch?" Zoe asked.

"I am." She nodded. "What about you, Paint Pal?"

"Always." Zoe replied as she readied her paintbrush to create the solution to this crisis.

" _Watch the fire blaze and go, this is a job for a superhero. Super-magic, heed my cry! Make this water say goodbye!"_ " Katya fired off the spell. In times before, only small bolts would have spat out. This time, a pure laser beam of energy shot out of her wand and struck the air above the buildings. All of Katya's thoughts and feelings were being poured into this particular spell, and it was showing.

Zoe took that as her opportunity to start painting down whatever she wanted onto her canvas. With a twirl of her paintbrush and some fast strokes, Zoe drew a picture of a bucket; one that showed itself next to the conglomerating magic Katya had been pulling off.

Two giant buckets loaded with gallons upon gallons of water showed up above the blazing buildings. Both of them filled to the brim with water and ready to spill. Katya and Zoe took that as their moment. Using their twin broomsticks, the two little girls flew over to the bottom of the bucket and pushed as hard as their muscles could. It was an effort, but sure enough, the buckets gave way and the water poured. A small waterfall could be seen behind them, prompting them to push more and more. The end gave more way and the small waterfalls turned into powerful geysers of water. Both of them upended the buckets at long last and all of the water spilled out, drowning the block in soaking, trickling, clean water; one that completely destroyed the fires, as well as giving the nearby blocks of buildings a nice wash in the process.

But the two of them had no time to rest on their laurels. As one fire had been put out, another one popped up in the distance. Both of the girls gave each other a nod and soared off to the scene.

"Here we go again." Katya readied her wand in preparation for another powerful spell. " _Another fire? Well that's just mean. Good thing we're both on the scene. I call on the water, that is my wish. Put out this fire and make it go hiss!_ " Katya cast the spell at the same time that Zoe painted down the next water-based tools.

A fire hose spawned in their hands; one that was connected to a disembodied source. Still, they pulled down on the handles. Once they did, the hoses fired out ferocious jets of water; one that nearly made Katya and Zoe fall out of their seats. Their grip tightened and locked on the hoses, they got it under control and flew around the inferno, getting to all of the places that the firemen on the ground couldn't reach. Soon enough, the flames were quelled, and the sizzling smoke left behind evaporated into the air, drifting off.

"That should be the last of them, right?" Zoe asked, looking around at the city. But as if fate were being cruel to her and Katya, a third explosion went off, spitting fires and embers.

"Oh, bats!" both of them exclaimed with disgust as they rushed off to the newest disaster.

" _All these flames make me mad, so let's put them out before I go sad! Abracadabra, drizzly-droke, give this nasty fire a soak!_ " Katya called out as she swung her wand with force this time. This time, however, she didn't summon anything to stop the fires. Instead, she ended up making a powerful surge of water that encompassed the entire block. The fires went out instantly, but Katya was putting so much force and showing her distaste for all of these fires that she ended up causing the buildings' foundations to break.

"Wonder-Witch! Calm down!" Zoe cried out as she started painting her next masterpiece to stop her friend from making a new problem. Sure enough, a sturdy metal cage appeared as a frame around the buildings, welded into the ground by powerful bolts that nobody would be able to unscrew. That kept the buildings from being uprooted from the ground. Zoe kept it in place until at last, the water from Katya's wand stopped. "Phew..."

"Huh?" Katya had barely even noticed the metallic frame until she came back to reality. "Oh... oh dear! Was my magic really that strong?"

"Y-yeah, it was. You nearly washed the buildings right off of the street." Zoe flew up with her self-made broomstick. "Luckily, I had my own superpowers." She brushed on the canvas again, removing the metallic frame, which caused it to disappear from the world.

"This superhero business is awfully stressful." Katya let out a sigh. "I mean, I know that we're Super Monsters, but, really, the 'Super' part is all just a part of the name. I can't even imagine the kind of trouble real superheroes go through when they have to fight evil or save people." She rubbed the end of her wand worriedly as she looked out. "Well, at least, it's all over now. There's no more disasters, no more trouble, we should all be going back, right?"

"Mmm. C'mon, Wonder-Witch. Let's regroup with the others. Then we can all think about going back home." Zoe put a hand on Katya's shoulder, making her crack a smile.

"Right. Let's go, Paint Pal." Katya gave a nod, then she and Zoe sped through the night towards the streets, ready to get back together with the other Super Monsters.

Sure enough, the eight superhero kids all gathered together in the large square, thinking back to all the craziness that they had been through tonight. From a magical blank book from Ms. Carradine, now they were in such a wild and wacky world made for superheroes. But now, there was nothing left for them. At least, nothing that they could think of. The chase had been stopped, the crimes foiled, everything had been wrapped up in a neat little bow.

"So... what now?" Drac asked, looking around. "Looks like this place is all back to normal."

"Yep. Score one for us; the Super-Duper Monsters." Spike did a thumbs-up gesture where the thumb was pointed towards his chest. "Guess now, all we gotta do is wait for the book to let us back out again, right?"

"Or maybe we all have to say 'the end', like we usually do?" Cleo couldn't really see anything else around her, nor any indication that the story was about to end. So she could only go off of what she had remembered from previous experiences with magical books.

"Well, it's worth a shot." Lobo tipped one of his spandex-clad claws. "On three, everyone. One, two, three..."

"The end!" The Super Monsters all called out to the sky, then they waited. And they waited. And they waited some more. A small gust of wind blew through the streets, past their hair and outfits. But nothing was happening. No portal was opening up, they weren't being carried into the skies, and they weren't back home.

"Hey? What gives?" Frankie was the first one to break the silence, trying to find something that would let them get back home. "Why are we still here?"

"I'm sure that we did everything that superheroes could do, right?" Zoe thought to herself.

"We stopped some bad guys from stealing stuff." Vida placed the print of her finger on her hand.

"We put out all of those big fires." Katya did the same with her hand.

"And we stopped a train from going over the edge. Literally." Drac chimed in. "So what are we missing?"

And then, it happened. A laugh boomed through the town as rumbles and vibrations swept throughout. The water in the river rippled, birds flapped into the skies, and there was the loud sounds of thumping footsteps coming from the distance. Something extra large was approaching. And not just any kind of large. The kind that would have been large enough to have been heard for miles around. A gargantuan golem. A titanic terror. A monolithic menace.

Then, Zoe remembered. And she let out a frightful gasp. "Oh no..."

"What is it, Zo—I mean, Paint Pal?" Cleo asked, lurching forward at Zoe's horror.

"I just remembered! The one thing that superheroes always do!" As she finished, she saw it. There, out in the distance, a titanic, bipedal machine with chrome plating, an arm-mounted laser cannon, feet that were semi-submerged by the river waters, large red eyes that glowed fiercely, and a glowing green core for its' chest. A rigid machine stood before them, glaring down at the Super Monsters with the intent to destroy. Missile launchers popped out of its' shoulder plates and tilted to aim at the kids.

"Good evening, Duskville!" Boomed the voice again, as a giant, glowing-gree head was projected out of the core of the robot. It showed a man with long, flowing black hair, a mustache, and a beard looking down on the Super Monsters. "And a very good evening to you, Super-Dopes!"

"Superheroes ALWAYS fight super **villains**! That's what we forgot!" Zoe explained to the other Super Monsters.

"I'm so glad that you decided to tend to all those other problems I planted for you tonight, kiddos. It gave my team the finest time to abscond with those batteries and supercharge this little beauty." The head posed flamboyantly as the machine pointed the arm gun to the skies, firing off a thick red stream that cut through the clouds and anything above it. "Say hello to the Annihilatron-10K! Hot off of the assembly line and perfect for dealing with brats like you..."

"Guessing you wanna fight, huh?" Drac taunted, floating firmly before the giant robot. "Well, bring it on, mister... uh, what is your name again?"

"Oh, come on, now. You've been defending this city for ages and you still don't remember my name? It's Gigastein! Greatest scientific mind in the underworld! Tinkerer of the darkest technology, and today, destroyer of the Super-Duper Monsters!" As he finished that sentence, the Annihilatron-10K's weaponry turned towards the Super Monsters again. "Well, maybe you'll remember it this time, when I finally put you all in the ground and claim this town as my stronghold; with which, I will go on to conquer the world! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The head disappeared, and the arm cannon took in particle effects as an electronic whining sound charged up. The light within the barrel of the gun grew brighter and brighter with light, illuminating the block the Super Monsters were all gathered up in, ready to blast them into obliteration.

"Everyone! Get ready!" Zoe called out as she started frenetically painting on her easel.

The laser fired, and a giant, metal shield coated the Super Monsters, barely even scratching them. After which, the rockets started to fire. Zoe had to move the shield around with her paintbrush to catch the missiles, before tossing the shield to the robot, causing it to stagger and stumble backwards a few inches, against the banks of the river.

"No time to talk, everyone! Just get going! Faster than fastfastfast!" Lobo cried out as he shot off towards the giant robot with his enhanced super speed. Like a flash of lightning, he charged on ahead.

The other Super Monsters all dispersed in similar matters. Cleo, Katya, Drac, and Spike all took to the skies and spread out to avoid getting blasted as a group. Vida used her vines to climb onto the rooftops. Zoe painted a pair of doors. One little, and one large. Then, taking Frankie's hand, she ran through the door without even having to open it. Tapping into her original zombie powers from the world she came from, she and Frankie phased through one of the doors and came out of the other one in the distance.

"Think you can all get away from me that easily? Not a chance! Initiating Omni-directional missiles! Locking targets!" Gigastein, from the comfort of his green-tinted cockpit, looked through a targeting screen that covered 360 degrees. He marked all eight of the Super Monsters with targeting crosshairs and, as the screen turned red, he slammed down his finger on one of the buttons. "Fire!" As he pushed the button, the shoulder-mounted missiles fired, screeching through the skies and moving towards the Super Monsters. "Let's see you outrun these, kids!"

Drac was the first one to be on the receiving end of a missile. He saw it was coming and let out a yelp. He tried to fly up to get away from it, but it was veering towards him no matter where he went. Eventually, out of panic, he decided to teleport, and the missile lost its' target and flew off into the skies above. He reappeared and let out a sigh of relief as he looked over to the other Super Monsters. He saw that Cleo and Spike were catching their missiles with their powers and redirected them to one another, causing them both to blow up in smoke and flame. Katya then swooped close to Drac with her own missile on her tail.

 _Katya! I've gotta help her! But with what?_ Drac looked down at his arsenal of tricks—or whatever was left of it. "C'mon, stupid belt... give me something to work with here. Something that stops missiles..." He eventually found something that he thought looked useful. A large piece of equipment that looked like a remote control with a pair of bat's wings. He gave the large red button a push, which sent a sonar call out through the city. As it went out, a swarm of bats appeared and gave chase to Katya's missile. "Bat call? Well, that's handy. Now c'mon, everyone..." Drac watched the bats play havoc with the missile and turn it towards the river. The tracking on Katya was lost and the rocket plunged into the water. But as it did so, a burst of water came up and rained down on the bats, which they then shook off. The flock dissipated afterwards.

"Here it comes..." Frankie watched the rockets get closer and closer. He grew to his new, enormous Green Giant size, and the rockets were smaller than before. They hit him directly in the chest, causing him to flinch as if he had been really hurt. But his hand managed to catch the one that was coming to Zoe. That too exploded and he had to flick his hand as if he had just caught an open flame. "Ugh. That's not very nice at all!" Feeling rattled, Frankie charged towards the giant robot in an attempt to punch it down a peg. Every single footstep that he made shook the ground below, and Zoe had to draw herself a trampoline just to get to the rooftops. She took it and used the bounce from the ground and from her newly-manifested trampoline to gain great height; just enough to get to the rooftops.

Lobo and Vida were both together as their rockets came rushing towards them. While Vida was preoccupied with her own, Lobo was comfortable with outrunning it. The rocket could have been as fast as it could have gone and it still wouldn't have caught him. However, he couldn't help but worry about what was going to happen with Vida. She was still trying to figure out what to do as the missile came streaking towards her. He decided then to use his superpowers to run up the walls as fast as he could. With the advanced speed, the momentum kept him from falling off and he propelled himself up the walls. But he went too fast and ran where his feet couldn't touch the ground. He looked down and felt gravity catch him at last. A scream came out of his mouth as he plummeted back to earth.

"Oh no!" Vida could see that Lobo was descending at terminal velocity and she had to take action. But there was still a missile approaching her. Fear overwhelmed her and she didn't know what to do. So, she let out a cry of her own and smashed her hands against the vines, causing one to catch her missile and keep it suspended away from her. With her sorrow, the vines reacted appropriately and grew to the rocket that was now speeding towards Lobo. Vida's vines smashed the rockets together and coiled around Lobo firmly. That was when she opened her eyes. "Cousin Lo—Oh, bats! Superhero names, right... Furry Lightning! Are you alright?" She asked as the vines recoiled and brought Lobo back to the roof she was on.

"Y-yeah. I'm alright." Lobo rubbed the back of his head. "I don't think I've ever done that before with my super speed. And I've done some crazy things with it before..."

"We have to stop this thing before it tears up the whole city!" Katya said as she and Drac repositioned with Vida and Lobo.

"Wait, is that Frankie?" Drac watched the now gigantic Frankie speed towards the robot. "What's he doing? That thing is REALLY dangerous!"

"I think he's trying to fight it hand-to-hand. It's a little bit cliche, but I mean, it fits." Cleo mentioned as she floated to Drac's side. "I mean, if you're gonna face a giant robot, why not get a giant Super Monster?"

"But it's not fair! That thing's got all kinds of nasty missiles and lasers and other bad stuff! All Frankie has is his hands! There's no way he can beat him alone!" Spike remarked in worry.

"Then let's go and give him a hand, shall we?" Zoe appeared through a little black hole in the ground, jumping out of it as if she were a cartoon character. "If we all work together, we can surely beat this Gigastein and go home to Pitchfork Pines. We just need to use all of the powers that we've been given, and we'll be sure to win!"

"Right. Then in that case..." Drac disappeared and reappeared with the belt that he had previously discarded. "Super-Duper Monsters?"

"To the rescue!" The group of seven all declared as they raced off towards the Annihilatron-10K with wings, winds, magical paint, flying broomsticks, elongated vines, vampire powers, and super speed fast enough to leave streaks behind.

"You think that you can beat me?" Gigastein mocked as he and Frankie were engaged in a fistfight. Frankie punched, Gigastein dodged. Gigastein punched, Frankie dodged. It was all very samey-samey. "Duck, weave, left jab, right hook, gut punch, uppercut!" He said it, and his robot did it. The gut-punch caused Frankie to hunch over his body, and as his head fell, the uppercut dislodged him from the ground and he was sent flying backwards a few feet, skidding across the road and smashing up the stuff beneath him. Luckily, there was nobody involved in the scene.

"Hey, you!" Cleo called, and the Super-Duper Monsters darted into the action. "You need a timeout, mister!" Cleo raised her arms upwards, causing a strong updraft to form at the Annihilatron-10K's feet. It only barely lifted the robot off of the ground. "A BIG one!" Cleo yelled and grunted as she threw her arms upward. The robot was lifted more feet off of the ground, but it was still in control.

"Funny. I don't take orders from pre-schoolers." Gigastein pointed the mech's laser cannon at Cleo and was about to fire, but before he could, Vida's vines wrapped around the arm of the machine and tugged down on it, causing the laser to miss and shoot up the road beneath it. It cut up the street below it before Cleo dropped the wind and made the robot land on its' head. "G-gah! How dare you! I should give you all a spanking!" The robot vaulted back onto its' feet, causing another massive tremor that shook Lobo off of his run and caused him to faceplant into the road, stopping mere inches away from the damage. "Now, try these!"

Some hatches on the arms opened up and some electrified, green-neon nets were fired out, travelling towards the Super Monsters in the air.

"Nets are for fishing! Not catching us!" Spike declared, and he let out another roar that sent out clouds in a gatling fashion. One by one, the many nets caught the clouds instead of the kids and fell to the ground with nothing to show for it as the clouds vanished. Take this!" Spike let another roar out as he formed a bigger cloud, one that he started to shift with his own two hands, in the attempt of making something useful out of it.

Meanwhile, Drac pulled out one of the tools that he had discarded. "C'mon, Bat Cable. Do your job!" He called as he took what looked like a grappling gun that also had bat wings for both the hooks of the hook and attached to the side of the device itself. He watched as the Annihilatron-10K fired a net towards him, but he teleported, fired the cable, and caught the net with it. The electricity surged towards the end of the device, so Drac had mere seconds to toss it back to the machine. Which he did. An electrical surge struck the Annihilatron-10K and caused the doctor inside to let out buzzing sounds of pain as the voltage reached his chair.

"You dirty little... I do the nasty tricks around here! Not some wannabe toddlers!" He smashed a red button, and the arms of his Annihilatron-10K morphed and transformed. No longer were they giant robot hands, but now, they were giant robotic swords with the arm cannon still mounted on top of one of them. The blades performed an 'X' slice together, sending a wave of energy towards the Super Monsters.

"And if you're gonna play dirty, then we just have to work extra-extra hard to stop you!" Katya swung her wand downward, sending a wave of energy out to meet the shockwave. Both collided in a spectacular fashion, as Katya sped forward like a bullet through the remaining cloud. After which, she started to perform a series of fly-by runs, each time casting her own spells down on the gigantic machine; with each one bursting and transforming into something that would weigh the robot down or make it look silly. Mushrooms, giant anchors, humongous socks, to name a few.

"Irritating little..." Gigastein just spun his robot around, which discarded everything at once. "Time to cut you down to size!" He ordered the machine to lurch towards Katya, blades ready to cut her and her broom to pieces.

"No, you don't!" Lobo zipped his way up the robot's body and stopped at the eyes of the machine. He now took up the focus of the cockpit. And inside, Gigastein could only see his face. "Wanna play fastball? Well, I'm the fastest of the fast!" Lobo said as he zipped up the robot's blade arm. "Try to keep up!" As the arm moved even slightly, Lobo was on a different part of the machine's body. Rushing from one limb to another, Lobo drew the robot's weapons away from Katya and onto him. Blade swings, weapon fire from lasers, blasters, and more rockets, and everything that the mech could throw. And every single time, Lobo dodged it effortlessly.

"Thermosteel!" He pushed the button and the machine turned red, letting off a large burst of steam; one that Lobo ran haphazardly into. He let out a howl of pain as Lobo took all of the steam like a champ and tumbled off of the robot. "I planned for everything, Super-Duper Monsters. You can't defeat me this time!"

"Don't you know that the bad guy always loses? That's how stories like this go." Zoe chuckled as she painted away. She manifested a giant pair of boxing gloves; one that started to punch the machine away and disengage the heat functions. "And I don't think you know it yet, Gigastein, but this is **our story!** And it's time we bring it to an end!" One last punch, and the Annihilatron-10K fell to the ground again, leaving a similar mess to the one that Frankie had unintentionally made.

"Then by all means, Super-Duper Monsters. _Try and end it_. But I guarantee you, it won't end the way you think it will..." The Annihilatron-10K got back up and flew into the air, charging up its' chest core with green particle effects. In a similar matter to the arm cannon, the machine took it all in and fired a large stream of green energy down; one that tore up the city, leaving massive trails of debris and carnage in its' wake. Entire roads were blasted off of the face of the world, and the Super Monsters could only barely escape it.

"We're going home. And you're not gonna stop us!" Frankie finally got back into the fight. He ran to the end of the pier as his colossal Green Giant self and threw himself at the airborne robot. Catching it by the legs, Frankie threw it into the river with a grunt. Sure enough, the robot was buried, and a mountainous amount of water was splashed up into the city, sending powerful waves across the land. Ones that crashed down and deluged the nearby areas. The robot then got back up and kicked Frankie over the bridge and into another mound of water.

"Cloud Kid!" Cleo flew over to Spike. "I've got an idea, but I'm gonna need your help to pull it off!"

"My help? Lead the way then, Tiny Typhoon!" Spike gave her a grin.

"I need you to roar up the biggest cloud ever! I'll try and hold it in place, and then we can use the other Super Monsters to make it spit lightning!" Cleo remarked. "Green Giant can catch the lightning, and it'll make his fists electrical. And that should take out the robot!" She explained. "Think you can handle that?"

"Sure!" Spike gave a nod. "Now, stand back. I'm gonna need all the breath I can get..." Spike took in a massive excess of air for his otherworldly roar. And then, he let loose. Spike roared the longest and loudest dragon roar that he had ever been able to muster. And sure enough, a massive, chunky, puffy mound of purple clouds came streaming out of it. Ones that Cleo was shaping into a large storm cloud and manoeuvring over the ensuing fight scene involving Frankie and the Annihilatron-10K.

"Wonder-Witch! Can you cast a lightning spell on that cloud?" Cleo asked as she flew over to her.

"Absolutely, bu—"

"As if I'd let you do as you please!" Gigastein said as he used his blades to slice at Frankie's legs. It barely missed him, but it did move him away from the clouds. "I see what you're doing, Super-Duper Monsters. Think I didn't plan for this?! I've only lost to you nine-thousand, nine-hundred, and ninety-nine times!"

"Then let's make it ten-thousand!" Drac said as he took out another tool from his belt. It was a ball that was as white as snow. _I'm sure Sami will be alright with this. After all, it's our story, so we get to decide what happens._ He threw the ball at the water, and Frankie jumped out of it just as the ball hit. In the blink of an eye, the river froze up, and the Annihilatron-10K was trapped in the frozen water, causing it to struggle and shift as it tried to get out.

"What?!" Gigastein barked in horror as he fiddled with the joysticks, smashed all of the buttons that he could, and tried everything to dislodge the bot and defeat the Super Monsters. All of the weapons were firing out in all directions, but the machine was still generally stuck in the frigid waters. "No, no, no, no, no! This piece of junk is going straight back to the shop when I get home!" Then, all of a sudden, during his tantrum, he heard the sounds of metal grinding. He looked at the sensors and saw that Vida was ripping apart pieces of the robot, with Lobo again performing the classic bait-the-enemy-into-destroying-its'-own-weapons trick by super-speed shooting along the limbs of the robot.

"Wonder-Witch! Green Giant! Now!" Zoe pointed towards the sky as she painted what would seem to be the last tool in her arsenal. A giant bubble wand filled with moisture. She slammed it down on top of the robot just as Lobo and Vida got out of the way in time. The Annihilatron-10K was lifted out of the water thanks to the bubble and that gave the kids the opening that they needed.

" _Give this mean machine no quarter! Turn this icy river back to water!_ " Katya cast her spell at the frozen water now that the way was clear. The ice melted instantly and turned to water. She looked at Frankie, who now had the cloud ready to go. " _Let's end this story that's so frightening. Cloud, strike Frankie with some lightning!_ " Her last bolt hit the cloud, and the sounds of thunder could be heard as a torrent of lightning struck Frankie directly in the head. But, being a Frankenstein, he simply collected the electrical energy and felt it coil around his body like a weapon.

"Thanks, Katya!" Frankie called with a smile, then turned his focus to the helpless machine. "Now, let's end this story!" Frankie sprinted forward for one last time with a yell, pulled back his hand for a punch, then, with one last epic leap at the airborne robot, delivered a downward strike that knocked the Annihilatron-10K back into the river and electrocuted it all, as one last colossal bolt of lightning rained down on both Frankie and the robot. In a bedazzling display of light and power, the electricity ran up and down the robot's body, short-circuited everything inside, and caused the robot to explode in a tall plume of metal, smoke, ash, rubble, and other parts.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Gigastein called as what remained of his cockpit flew out of the robot and shot off into the distance. "I'll be back, Super-Duper Monsters! You haven't seen the last of meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..." He disappeared over the horizon, and a little star twinkled once he was out of sight to signify how far he went.

"Alright!" Drac fist-pumped in victory. "Supervillain: Beaten!"

"We saved the day!" Vida threw her arms in delight.

And, sure enough, there were the cheers of the crowd in the distance to prove it. Fireworks were launched into the sky which erupted in a spectacular fashion. Showing images of the Super Monsters in the sky. At last, one final wave of fireworks spelt out a special message to send them all off. It read out "Thank You, Super-Duper Monsters!"

The Super Monsters all clamoured together and enjoyed the fireworks display. Every single erupting colour and all of the praise that they were receiving for a good job in saving the town left a fuzzy feeling in their heart. For the first time ever performing the 'Super' part of their name, it had been a ride, but it had been fun in the end. Maybe, another time, when they were older, they'd have a lot more fun being superheroes like this. But for now, there was no place like home. And sure enough, one last portal opened up in the sky above them. And at last, they were all pulled back into the portal the same way that they had been sucked into the book in the first place. One by one until they had all gone.

* * *

Back in Pitchfork Pines, Igor, Esmie, and Ms. Carradine were all watching the story's climax come to life. And once the final colours and illustrations were done, the book glowed bright white again. It shook and shuddered, which made the three grown-ups drops the book and back away from it. At last, the Super Monsters all popped back out of the book, no longer clad in their superhero clothes, but rather the clothes they were used to; the clothes that they always wore on a night in Pitchfork Pines. No masks, capes, or anything from their little superhero adventure could be seen.

"We're home?" Spike looked at Igor, Ms. Esmie, and Ms. Carradine. "We're home! Everyone! We're back in Pitchfork Pines!" Spike was practically bouncing with glee as he let the other Super Monsters get back onto their feet.

"We're home? Really?" Katya looked out at the three familiar faces that she knew and loved. "Oh, thank goodness for that. As interesting as it was to be a superhero, it's nice to be back in our world. The real world."

"Yeah. As cool as it might have looked, I don't think I'm really cut out to do that all the time." Drac pushed his back out as he lifted himself off of the ground again. "I'm just glad to be home."

"And I'm glad that you all made it out of your own adventure, Super Monsters." Ms. Esmie was the first of the three to welcome the kids back. "That story looked like quite an adrenaline rush. Me, Igor, and Ms. Carradine were all on the edge of our seats..."

"But, as always, you've pulled it out of the bag and proved just how 'super' you all are." Igor winked with his playful little jab. "All's well that ends well, wouldn't you say?"

"I would. Especially when that story's here to stay." Ms. Carradine watched the book finally stop glistening with light and take on its' final form. It was a comic book with a front cover depicting all of the Super Monsters in their superhero forms heroically charging towards the reader, with text and special effects littered all around the sides. "You can always come back and read it whenever you like, Super Monsters."

"Ya think we'll just get the outfits this time?" Frankie asked. "I wouldn't wanna go back in there. Not right now, at least."

"Well, I'm sure that we'll get the chance to revisit that story, Frankie." Zoe chuckled a little. "But you do have to admit; it was pretty fun to have those new powers, wasn't it?"

"It was, yeah." Lobo put his hands behind his head. "But for now, I'm just glad to be back under my own speed."

"Mmm. And those vines were just a _little bit_ tighter than usual..." Vida replied, which just made the other Super Monsters let out a series of chuckles.

After their little laughing fit, Igor was the first one to notice that the sun was beginning to rise, accompanied with the crowing of the morning cockerel. "Well, would you look at that? Time really does fly when you're having fun, doesn't it?"

The Super Monsters all took their positions as the sun climbed over the edge of the world and bathed them in its' rays. "Sun Up!" And with another burst of light; the same one that always drowned them whenever night fell or morning broke, they were morphed back into their human selves. "Super Monsters!"

"See you soon, Super Monsters!" Ms. Carradine waved the children off, who waved back to her as Igor and Esmie corralled them back to the pre-school so as to be collected by their respective guardians and parents. Once they had all left, she took the finished comic book, placed it in a display stand, and then went off to tend to the other parts of the library. There, within the thick walls, the comic would stay. The Super-Duper Monsters' first-ever issue. And something told Ms. Carradine that it wouldn't be the last...


	5. Just Like Zoe

Twilight was about to emerge on the village of Pitchfork Pines once again. And as was tradition, the Super Monsters were all being dropped off, ready for another night. Zane and Zoe were the last to arrive and were being ushered to the door by their father; a sharp-dressed man with blue skin, an anchor beard and moustache, shaved hair, and a long Windsor tie with a variety of colours in it.

"Alright. Have a good night, you two." The man said as he knelt down and tousled both Zoe and Zane's hairs. "Oh, and Zane? If you need some help trying to get your powers under control, don't be afraid to talk to Zoe about it. I'm sure she'd be glad to let you in on some tricks."

"Alright, dad." Zane grinned as his dad retracted his hand.

"Cool. And Zoe, if you don't know how to explain it, then there's nothing wrong with talking to your teachers about it," he said, turning his gaze to Zoe. "Even if you've got a good grasp on your zombie powers, there's still a lot more stuff you can learn about it."

"Alright, dad." Zoe was the next one to give a grin to her father. After which, she turned towards Zane and held his hand. "I'm sure that we'll both have a wonderful time; even if we are in separate classrooms."

"You said it, Zoe." Zane nodded. "You're gonna have a great time with your friends, and I'll have a great time with mine."

"Y'know, I couldn't be prouder of you two," Zoe's dad said. "It seems like yesterday you came to this school for the very first time. And now, you've both got the rest of the Super Monsters to call your friends. You keep this up, and I think you're gonna have a very bright pair of futures."

"Thanks, dad." Both Zane and Zoe said together.

Both Zane and Zoe walked into the school together, hand in hand. Once they were inside and the doors were closed, the two of them spent the moment to look into each other's eyes. They gave a wink to each other and went their separate ways. Zoe went upstairs to the Purple Room, where her classmates were waiting, while Zane made his way to the main classroom, where the New Class was waiting for him.

Zane could see that the other kids in the New Class were already busy doing their last little things before the sun went down. Rocky was scribbling away at sheets of paper with crayons, Olive had just put her bag back into its' spot in the cubby, and Sami was busy stacking some building blocks over in the corner of the room close to the windows. Zane took the time to place his bag down in the cubby in the first open spot that he could see, then went over to see how the others were. He started by going over to Olive, who was joining Sami by the blocks.

"Hey, Zane." Olive and Sami noticed him straight away and gave him a small wave.

"Hi, girls." Zane waved back, then took one of the blocks and planted it around the base; making the foundations of the girls' tower more reinforced.

"What do you think we're going to be doing tonight?" Olive was the first one to ask as Zane got to work with helping them out with the tower of blocks.

"I don't know, but I bet it's going to be fun no matter what it is." Sami clasped her hands together after placing her latest building block onto the pile; the pile that was steadily growing. "What about you, Zane? What do you wanna do tonight?"

"The same stuff I always do; try to have fun!" Zane threw his arms out to the side.

The three Super Monsters at the tower of blocks stacked away until, at last, they heard the sound of hands clapping them to attention. Sure enough, Ms. Mina called them over, just as the sun was beginning to set in the distance. Rocky had also been pulled away from his artistic adventures for the setting of the sun.

"Alright now, Super Monsters. I hope you're ready. Because here we go again..." Ms. Mina pointed out the setting sun, sinking over the edge of the horizon once again. "Sun Down..."

"Monsters Up!" The New Class called out as they were swept up in the wave of light and rapidly morphed into their monster forms. "Super Monsters!"

With their powers granted to them, Zane was one of the first that night to use them. Looking back at the work that he, Sami, and Olive had made, he cast one of his fingers at a mound of blocks, taking them all up in a beam of magic; one that he contorted so that they would shift and land in a formation around the tower; making it seem much bigger than before. He then ran over with Olive and Sami and went back to it.

"Zane, your zombie powers are so cool!" Olive complimented as she examined the work that he had done on the tower. "I wish I could have zombie powers like you, Zane."

"I bet your big sister, Zoe must be really proud of you." Sami gave Zane a pat on the back.

"I'm sure that she is. But really, Zoe's got a lot more experience with zombie powers than I do." Zane twiddled his fingers together and looked down at the tower of blocks once again. After all, he was just a little brother. He had merely inherited powers from his mother, father, and to some extent, his little sister. "Zoe's got one trick that I could never replicate. Unlike me, she can take other people with her through walls."

"Well, you can totally take things through walls with you when you use your zombie beam, right?" Olive asked.

"Y-yeah, but that's only really me lifting them through it. Zoe can just take someone's hand and run with them through stuff. She's freer with that kind of stuff." Zane let out a sigh as he twiddled his fingers. "Sure, sure, I've taught her little bits about how to use a zombie beam, but she's always gonna have that over me. That and, well, her art." Zane looked over and watched as Rocky was applying some artistic touches to the picture that he was drawing away at. Zane pictured Zoe sitting in one of those chairs. "Man... I can only imagine how the other Super Monsters in her class must've felt when they looked at her pictures. They must've been blown away by 'em."

"I'm sure that she still does that kind of stuff, Zane." Sami wrapped her arm around his shoulders, then pointed up to the ceiling. "Now, she does it upstairs in the Purple Room."

"It's not like she's gonna stop. Zoe loves that kind of stuff. She wouldn't just give it up just because she's in a new classroom, right?" Olive came over to Zane's side and gave him a grin. "Besides, Zane, I'm sure that even without her, you can make something wonderful just like she can."

"That's right, Olive." Ms. Mina came to the three of them, knelt down, and looked into Zane's eyes. "Zoe might be upstairs with Igor, Esmie, and their class, but she's always gonna be a Super Monster deep down. She's also always going to be your sister, Zane. I'm sure that whatever Zoe used to do in this class, you'll do just as good as she could. Who knows? You might even be better."

"You really think so, Ms. Mina?" Zane asked, blinking his eyes.

"I know so. But you'll never really know unless you try, Zane. So go on. Try to spend the night as if you were Zoe. See the world through her eyes." She said, without even noticing that she had made a clever play on words to do with Zane and Zoe's special eye-related powers.

"See the world through her eyes..." Zane repeated as Ms. Mina went off. And sure enough, Zane closed his eyes and opened them once again. This triggered his zombie-eyes; his sparkly eyes that allowed him to see through matter. He looked to the left, then to the right, all to see if there was anything that grabbed his attention. He could see straight through all the walls and saw the rest of Pitchfork Pines around him, but none of it really seemed interesting to him. He then looked up and around and saw Zoe and the rest of her class doing things in the Purple Room together. Zane just closed his eyes and toggled his zombie vision off. "Hmm..."

"Maybe you don't have to use your zombie powers, Zane. Why not just try to be more like Zoe?" Sami put forth the idea as she walked forward and got Zane to turn his gaze towards her. "Just try to do the stuff that she really liked; play the games she liked to play. You already know how much she loves her art time, but what else does she enjoy doing?"

"Why don't you go and ask her?" Olive asked. "You know where she is, right? I'm sure that Ms. Mina won't mind you going upstairs to see what Zoe likes doing."

"Well... if you say so." Zane waddled over towards the entryway to the classroom and made his way out. All the way, he had Ms. Mina guiding him to the Purple Room. He was still fairly new to the school, so she didn't want him getting lost. That was the last thing on Ms. Mina's mind. And while he walked with her, it gave Zane some ideas on how he would ask Zoe about what she enjoyed doing.

* * *

Zane and Ms. Mina finally arrived at the doors to the Purple Room. Ms. Mina gave the doors a knock and sure enough, the doors were opened wide. Igor was standing on the other side. "Ms. Mina? Zane? Is there something that I can help you with?" He asked as the two of them walked into the Purple Room together.

"I actually wanna see if Zoe's in here." Zane looked around the Purple Room to see if Zoe was in the class. Sure enough, she was there, but she was standing by the mirror at the other end of the room with Ms. Esmie, Frankie, Drac, and Vida.

"Looks like they're about to go somewhere on a field trip together..." Ms. Mina commented as Esmie gathered them up. From a distance, she couldn't make out what she was saying, but she knew all too well that standing by that mirror was a clear indication that they were about to depart. "You'd better be quick now, Zane." Before she could even look down at him, Zane was already running as fast as his little legs could carry him over to the group of Super Monsters.

"Zoe?" Zane quickly came up to her side and tugged on her shoulder softly, prompting her to turn and face him. "I need to ask you something."

"What is it, Zane? Are you having trouble with your zombie powers for something?" Zoe asked, looking into Zane's eyes.

"N-no. It's nothing like that, Zoe." Zane clasped his hands together. "I just... wanna know. What was it like, in your old class? What did you use to do for fun down there?"

"What _did_ I do? Ooh, that is an interesting question..." Zoe put a hand to her chin and looked to the ceiling. "There were so many things I did in the old class. I met some new friends, spent a lot of time on the arts and crafts table, I made my Monster Match with Luna... There's so many things I did down there."

"Why don't you just choose the bestest, most fun things that you used to do, Zoe?" Drac put forward the solution. "That should help narrow it down a little."

"We know that Zoe used to draw a lot. And I mean _a lot_ , Zane." Frankie came forward and stood by Zoe's side. "There wasn't a day in the old class when she wasn't doodling or painting stuff. Unless we went out, that is."

"Mmhmm. Zoe also enjoyed playing dress-up every now and again too," Vida chipped in and gave her wise words on the situation. "Especially whenever she was helping with a play. The number of costumes she looked good in, it was as if she was a walking closet."

"But most of all, I loved being myself and having my powers," Zoe said, putting a hand on Zane's chest. "Why not give it a try, Zane? See what it's like for you?"

"I will!" Zane gave a smile as he threw his arms then, then promptly gave Zoe a tight hug, wrapping his arms around her chest. "Have a good night, Zoe!"

"You too, Zane!" Zoe replied as Zane promptly ended the hug and rushed off back to Ms. Mina, who was standing by the door.

His information gathered, Zane went back downstairs with Ms. Mina; who lead him all the way back to the New Class. "So, Zane? What did you find out from your sister?" She asked as the two of them walked down the stairs together.

"Well. Zoe loves drawing and painting, she loved to play dress up, but she most of all liked being herself. Being my big sister." Zane was using his fingers to list off all of the data that he had gathered on Zoe. "I think I'd like to try that kind of stuff, Ms. Mina. I-If that's alright with you, that is?"

"I'm sure we can do that. There's still a lot of clothes left over in the auditorium. I could go and bring some of those over so that you and the New Class can try it out for yourself," Ms. Mina flashed Zane a smile. "In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy trying to emulate the stuff that Zoe liked to do, Zane."

"Oh, I bet I will, Ms. Mina. Zoe's the bestest big sister ever! I'd love to do all the kind of stuff that she can do!" He gave Ms. Mina a vigorous nod as the two of them came to the bottom of the stairs and wandered back over to the classroom together.

Both Zane and Ms. Mina came back to the classroom together, and Ms. Mina called everyone together. Sure enough, Olive, Rocky, and Sami came scurrying over, standing by her legs with Zane walking over to their side.

"Alright now, Super Monsters. I know that you've all been enjoying your fun and games, but now it's time to get a little bit creative." Ms. Mina explained as she held her hands together. "So, why don't we get to know you a little bit better by seeing what you can make? Take a seat over by the table and I'll explain everything." Sure enough, the four Super Monsters in the New Class took their seats around the table and turned their attention to Ms. Mina, who stood lovingly over them like a guardian angel.

"Ms. Mina? What are we doing?" Rocky asked, looking down at the paper, and then up at Ms. Mina.

"Well, I want to see what you all like. See what you like in the form of a picture," Ms. Mina explained as she watched Olive and Sami looking down at the sheets. "Draw whatever you want onto these sheets of paper, Super Monsters. Draw what you really like. It could be your favourite game, your favourite toys, what you like to do with your powers, anything. Show me what you really, really, _really_ enjoy doing."

"Okay then. I've got lots of things that I like doing!" Olive wasted no time snatching up a few crayons and getting to work on her masterpiece.

No sooner had Olive started, the other Super Monsters in the New Class also got started scribbling. Rocky, Sami, and Zane took crayons for themselves and began doodling away, thinking about the things that they enjoyed doing more than anything else in the world. Olive had gotten started by drawing in herself. Then, she did a doodle of a larger ogre that was presumed to be her mother and another large ogre that looked like her father. Sami did the same, but it was more of a picture of herself with a bunny in her hands. Some rapid jabs with the light blue crayon gave the impression that Sami was in a snowy background. Rocky himself had been scribbling in himself, and then many other toys that he enjoyed using. Building blocks, balls, the playground outside, and more.

Zane thought about stuff to draw, just like how Zoe would. The problem for Zane, was that he was trying to think about the kind of things that Zoe liked, and he knew that Zoe was a girl and he was a boy. He didn't know what girls enjoyed doing, so he tried to picture it. Zane looked around the room to see what Zoe would've been interested in. From the blocks that he had so cleverly stacked to the books on the shelves by the armchair, to the playground outside, Zane couldn't narrow anything down properly. For all that he knew, Zoe could've enjoyed all of those things. But Zane saw the other Super Monsters drawing away what they liked, and he couldn't exactly leave it blank. Especially if Ms. Mina wanted to know what he liked. He needed to produce results.

So Zane started to draw. One thing came to mind, and then the next. And then the next. Soon enough, Zane found himself on a hot streak. He started to scribble away at his drawing, making many different things with the crayons that he had been given. He was trying to tap into Zoe's creative instincts; to see what he could make. Sure enough, he had made what looked like a doodle of the classroom and all the stuff on it. Then, he got to work on another picture; one that showed the playground outside. Zane was starting to slip into a more comfortable mindset as he drew away. But for all of his creativity, he had forgotten to show himself or what he liked to do as a Super Monster. In reality, all that he had done was make pictures of the world around him, rather than show off what he liked to do.

And Zane knew it. He looked back at the stuff he had drawn and couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. He mumbled to himself and looked at the drawing from every angle, trying to see where he went wrong. But he couldn't figure it out. As far as he knew, he had done everything that Zoe would've done; capture the world around him and what he liked about it. But that wasn't the point that the other Super Monsters around him had got. Olive, Rocky, and Sami had all shown off what they enjoyed, while he had done nothing but recreate the world around him. He tried to ask Ms. Mina for help, but she wasn't there. She had mentioned that she went off to get some clothes for him and the other Super Monsters in the New Class to try on, so he and they were all alone until she came back.

"I don't think I get it." Zane looked at his pictures over and over again to see where he had made the mistake. "Zoe always used to be very artsy when she was in this class, so why can't I feel the same way she feels?"

"What do you mean, Zane?" Rocky asked, looking over at the things that Zane had scrawled down on his piece of paper. "Oh. You like... the school? Well, who wouldn't?"

"N-no! That's not it at all. Of course, I like the school, but I just tried to do what Zoe would do; what she would draw! But..." Zane looked down at the things that he had made and realised that he had given himself no identity. "This isn't how she would do it, is it?"

"Zane? Maybe you shouldn't try to do these things exactly like Zoe would." Rocky came forward with the idea. "Zoe loved doing these things as a Super Monster, right?"

"Y-yeah?" Zane nodded. He wasn't sure what to think anymore.

"But you're not Zoe, so why are you trying to copy the stuff that she does?" Olive added.

"Because we're brother and sister, Olive. I love the stuff that Zoe does and she likes the stuff that I do. We're two peas in a pod. I just..." He blushed and rubbed the ground with the tip of his feet. "I never thought I'd be in her classroom, doing the stuff she liked doing with a totally different class of Super Monsters to the one she's used to."

"Well, we're not Zoe's classmates but, I'm sure that you like us all the same, right, Zane?" Sami asked curiously, with a raised eyebrow and her head tilted to the side.

"I do, Sami. I do. It's not like I'm gonna want to leave this class any time soon." Zane shook his head. "I love it here, and the three of you have been some of the best friends I've ever hoped for." As soon as he said those words, the other three New Class Super Monsters threw him into a hug; one that he happily gave back.

At last, the four Super Monsters could hear the sound of something grinding against the floor, coupled with the sound of a grunting Ms. Mina. The four Super Monsters could see that Ms. Mina was struggling to push a chest into the classroom. It was a large blue chest with a gold frame around it. Even with her wings out and flapping, she was trying everything that she could to push the box forward. It was still taking a lot of breath out of her and eventually, she knelt down; rainbow-coloured wings limply hanging down by her side.

"I'll get that, Ms. Mina!" Olive noticed the scene straight away and took hold of the box. With the strength of an ogre, Olive effortlessly lifted the box from the ground and took it off of Ms. Mina's hands. She brought it into the classroom and looked for somewhere to put it down, eventually settling on a blank space beside the armchair.

"Thanks, Olive." Ms. Mina said, while trying to catch her breath. "The box weighs more than the clothes, let me just say. And Frankie wasn't exactly around, since he's out with Ms. Esmie right now."

"What's in the box, Ms. Mina?" Sami waddled over and placed a hand on the lid of the chest. She pushed it up and watched the lid hang over the back edge of itself. Then, Sami clutched onto the open edge and pulled herself up so that she could see what was inside.

"What is it?" Rocky flapped his wings to get a better look at the contents of the chest. Once he did, his body flashed yellow; the sign of a gargoyle feeling happiness. "No way!" He exclaimed and threw his arms out to the side. The box's interior contained a bunch of clothes; costumes that were the same size as the Super Monsters. From dresses to hats, prop swords to toy whips, there was a bountiful amount of things for the Super Monsters to play dress-up with.

"Ms. Mina? Are these..." Zane used his eyes to see inside the box; revealing the outfits and costumes within.

"The clothes from the auditorium? Yes." Ms. Mina clasped her hands together as she watched the New Class curiously eyeing up the box's contents. With Olive and Sami peaking over the edge, Rocky flapping his wings over it, and Zane using his eyes to see inside. "There were so many boxes and I'm sure that Igor wouldn't mind one or two of them ending up here. Go on, kids. Choose whatever you think you like the most."

"Okay, Ms. Mina. Now, let's see wh-wh-whoa!" And with those words, it happened. Olive tumbled into the box head first, landing so hard within the chest of clothes that some of them burst out. Luckily, the clothes helped to break her fall, so Olive poked her head back out of the mess of clothes, but most of her head was now covered in them, which earned some chuckles from the other Super Monsters in the room. Olive herself just ended up giving a weaker chuckle as she pulled the clothes off of her head and dropped them back into the chest.

"There's so much to try on in here." Rocky said, trying to see if there was anything that he could pick out. "Ooh! What about that?" He barrelled into the chest and, when he came back out, Rocky was dressed up as a cowboy; complete with the little star-shaped sheriff's badge and a hat resting on his head.

"Ooh, Rocky, you look so powerful with those clothes on..." Sami noticed Rocky's outfit straight away and couldn't help but fawn over it. "Pitchfork Pines is a lot safer with Sheriff Rocky on the case!" She giggled.

"Look at me!" Olive finally emerged from the box at last. She was also wearing a hat, but it had a skull and crossbones on it. Similarly, she had an eye-patch over her left eye and was holding a rubber sword that had been fashioned to look like a pirate's cutlass. "Ahoy, mateys! There be treasure on the high seas! Y'arrr!" Olive swung her sword around, embracing the role of being a pirate ogre. "Ahoy, scallywags! Bow down before the mighty Captain Olive!"

"The best pirate there is!" Zane trembled at the sight of Olive's menacing new attire; playfully giving into her act. "Spare me, Captain Olive!"

Sami just laughed at the sight, then went to see what she could dress up as. She jumped into the box of clothes and rummaged around until she found the clothes that she wanted. Then, it was simply a matter of putting them on. Once she did, Sami jumped out of the box dressed up as a ballerina, complete with the tutu draped around her skirt, a pair of pink shoes, and a little ribbon in her hands. Sami flicked the ribbon around in her hands from left to right, then twirled around, laughing all the way as she sank into the role of being a yeti ballerina, much to the delight of the other Super Monsters.

As Zane looked at Rocky's cowboy attire, Olive's pirate clothes, and now Sami's ballerina outfit, he started to think about what Zoe would wear. He tried to think about the kind of stuff that would have fit Zoe to a T. At first, he thought about the artist side of her, but then he dismissed that after the failed drawing session. Shaking his head, he tried to think a little bit more about Zoe's other interests. And something clicked in his mind. Zoe's favourite book, as she had told him before, was Space Squid Invaders. Thinking about the word space over and over again, Zane tried to find a spacesuit for him to squeeze into. He sifted past a sailor suit, a chef's outfit, a princess dress, and more. If there was a spacesuit in here, he needed to find it. To hopefully connect with his inner Zoe.

And then, at last, he found one. It was a simple dark blue spacesuit helmet, but it would have to do. Zane walked into the box with his powers, took the space outfit, stuck the helmet onto his head, stuffed the rest of his body into the matching suit, then phased back out of the box draped in the spacesuit. "How's this for a suit?" Zane asked, showing his outfit off to the other Super Monsters; his voice echoing around the helmet.

"Whoa..." Olive, Rocky, and Sami were all in awe of Zane's spacesuit as he walked forward.

"This comes from Zoe's favourite book. She used to tell me all about it whenever she came back from the library with the other Super Monsters upstairs," Zane explained. "She's always wanted to read it to me someday, but she's never really found the time. Hopefully, I can see what she saw in being a space-zombie."

"I'm sure that you will, Zane." Ms. Mina put her hands together and grinned as she looked down at the four re-clothed Super Monsters. It was like she was looking at a totally reimagined version of her class. "Now, why don't you all go and play for a bit? I'll still be here if you need anything."

The Super Monsters all went ahead and started to play; slipping more and more into their new costumed personas. Sami took the ribbon and swished it around in the air, dancing elegantly like a little ballerina would, while Olive and Rocky found themselves locked in a ferocious battle between cowboy gargoyle and pirate ogre. Both sides couldn't help but laugh as they tried to strike down the other in playful combat. Meanwhile, Zane thought about outer space and all of the things that could be seen in the great beyond. Stars, planets, spaceships, squids, and more. He tried to think of himself as weightless but found that his feet were still flat on the ground.

"Maybe I need a little bit of good ol' fashioned zombie powers..." Zane took a look at his hand, then twisted it so that he was casting a beam on himself. With himself willing it, Zane used his beam to lift himself off of the ground. It was taking him all of his strength to keep the beam up, but at last, Zane was now floating delicately off of the floor. Smiling to himself as he looked at his new height, he tried to fly around the room with the very same beam. And it worked. Though he was drifting slowly, Zane was actually flying with his own powers. Just like a true astronaut would. "Alright! This is awesome!"

Zane eventually came into contact with something hanging from above. It was one of the many models of the planets that hung from the ceiling. Sinking more into his role of being an astronaut, he let out a grin and said, "Houston, this is Blue-Eyes here, we've got a new planet coming up. Preparing to land." And with those same zombie powers of his, Zane planted himself on top of a blue planet. As he did, it rocked from left to right. He suddenly snapped his hands onto the cable that the planet was hanging from and gripped with all his might. "Wh-whoa! This planet's a bit shaky!"

"Be careful, Zane!" Ms. Mina instinctively opened up her wings and stood ready to swoop in and catch Zane, should he have fallen from the planet model.

And sure enough, even though Zane held on, he couldn't hold on enough. The shaking was enough to finally dislodge Zane from the planet. And as expected, Ms. Mina raced in to try and catch him. Zane was about to try using his zombie beam on himself again when Ms. Mina's arms scooped him and caught him before he got the chance. "Thanks, Ms. Mina." Zane's voice was shaky as Ms. Mina put him back on the ground again.

"I know that you wanna be a spaceman, Zane, but there's a point where you have to know your limits..." Ms. Mina said, kneeling down to Zane's height. "You could have really hurt yourself there."

"I know... I know. I just..." Zane thought more about Zoe. "How did she ever find these kind of things fun? Zoe, I mean?"

"I'm sure that she found a way, Zane. And I'm sure that you will too, but the thing is, you aren't Zoe. You're her brother, yes, but that doesn't mean you have to follow the beat of her drum exactly." Ms. Mina explained to Zane as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"But then... how am I supposed to know what I like here?" Zane asked. "I'm a Super Monster that doesn't know who he really is. So I've gotta keep following Zoe's example until I can figure out who I am." Zane tightened up his hands and made fists out of them. "I've tried drawing like Zoe and dressing up as Zoe. Maybe there's something else I'm missing..."

As Zane watched the other Super Monsters playing, he tried to think about what he was missing from the puzzle. So far, he had done everything that Zoe enjoyed doing, but he didn't feel the same kind of impact that she would have felt. With nothing left, he looked back up to the ceiling. There was only one more Super Monster that Zane could turn to in times like these. It was something that he hadn't even thought he would be doing until tonight, but he needed to figure out who Zoe was so he could then figure out who he was as a result. He shook his head and rushed off. He went straight through the walls and left the room behind.

* * *

Upstairs in the Purple Room, Katya was busy looking at some new spells in a book. Sitting daintily in the spell corner of the room, she read the page's contents from back to front and once she was confident in her ability to recite the spell, she stood back up and held her wand firmly in her hand. " _Crunchy, sweet, and sour ones to boot, come on, magic wand, make me some fruit!_ " Katya swung her wand downward, causing a magical cloud to shoot out. Once it dissipated, Katya was blessed with a mountain of fruit. Fruit of all shapes, sizes, and colours. It was enough fruit to keep the Purple Room kids fed for at least a year. Pleased with her results, Katya walked towards a banana, peeled the skin off, and took a bite to see if she had done the spell right. Sure enough, it had worked. Katya was tasting a real banana, and she cooed as she took another bite.

Zane came into the Purple Room once again and saw that Lobo was trying to test out his speed on the patterned floor, Cleo was trying her best to keep multiple tiny tornadoes spinning; making gentle motions with her hands, and Spike was playing around with his dragon clouds close to the ever-shifting ceiling of the room. Zane just left the three of them to do what they were doing. His sights were focused on Katya; though he couldn't help but feel a little bit peckish because of the food that she had conjured into existence.

"Katya?" Zane asked, pulling Katya out of her food-munching session.

"Oh? What is it, Zane? Is there a problem downstairs in Ms. Mina's class?" Katya asked, looking into Zane's eyes.

"N-no, there's no problem with the class. But... I was wondering." Zane twiddled his fingers. He had already come this far, but he knew that he needed to commit now that he had made this choice. "Do you have a spell?"

"I've got lots of spells. Why do you ask?" Katya came forward and put a hand on Zane's shoulder. "Did one of the New Class break something? Did someone lose something downstairs? Are they... hungry? Whatever it is, I've got just what you need, Zane."

"Actually... it's a little bit different than that." Zane swallowed, then decided to pluck up courage. "No matter what I try, no matter how hard I do it, I still don't know how Zoe used to enjoy her favourite activities downstairs in her old classroom. So, I was wondering, Katya. Do you have a spell that could turn me into Zoe?"

"Into Zoe?" Katya's eyes went wide and she lifted both of her brows. "What do you mean, Zane?"

"I want to be just like Zoe, but I can't do that if I don't feel just like Zoe." Zane sighed as he looked down at the ground. "I love Zoe because she's my big sister, but I don't know how she likes the stuff that she likes because I'm not Zoe. So I want a magic spell that can turn me into Zoe so I can see just how Zoe used to love the things she did before she came to the Purple Room. Do you have a spell like that for me, Katya?"

"I mean, I'm sure that I do, Zane, but I'm not sure whether or not it'll work." Katya rubbed her wand gently, looking down at the crystal star that sat on the tip of her wand. "My magic can do all kinds of things, but I've never done a spell that can turn Super Monsters into other Super Monsters..."

"Please? _You can totally do it_ , Katya. As long as you believe that you can. Plus, you'd be helping me out a lot." Zane put his hands together.

"Hmm... Okay, Zane. I'll try my best. But don't be too surprised if I get it wrong." Katya thought about a kind of spell that would transform Zane into Zoe. It wasn't hard for her to picture exactly what she was turning Zane into, seeing as she met Zoe on a daily basis. But it was the rest of the words that she was having trouble choosing between. After all, Katya's magic wasn't exactly a guaranteed result. Often at times, the wrong word would cause the whole spell to backfire, or cause some other zany effects. At last, she thought of a rhyme that she thought would work and held her wand tightly. " _Hair full of color and eyes so glowy, C'mon now, magic. Turn Zane into Zoe!_ "

With another one of Katya's magic bolts, Zane was struck squarely in the chest with it. He glowed ever so slightly from his head to his toe, feeling a tingling sensation as Katya's magic did its' job. He thought it would be a slow change, but in a big puff of magical essence, Zane disappeared; swallowed up by the magic. Once the cloud that Katya had made with her magic bolt disappeared, Zane was no longer there. Instead, however, was a perfect carbon copy of Zoe, from her green eyes to her rainbow-colored hair, the beaded necklace on her neck, and the paint-splatter-coated dress, it was uncanny how perfectly she had replicated Zoe's look.

"So... how do I look?" The replica of Zoe spoke, but Zane's voice came out instead.

"Take a look, Zane. I think I did a pretty good job." Katya drifted her hand towards the mirror in the corner of the room and watched as Zane raced over to it.

Zane looked into the mirror and saw that instead of his own face and clothes, he was now a complete duplicate of Zoe. He knew her looks from anywhere. Zane twisted on the spot to get a good look at every single angle, seeing that he had perfectly taken the form of his big sister. The only thing that hadn't carried over was the voice, as he said, "Wow, Katya! This is amazing! You got the look perfect!"

"I'm glad that you like it, Zane. But, uh, how long do you wanna stay like this?" Katya lifted a brow.

"Oh, not very long, Katya. Just as soon as I figure out what Zoe really loved the most about art time, dress-up, and all the other things she loved doing in your old classroom." Zane was still admiring himself. Specifically, he had his hands on the beaded necklace around his neck; the same one that Zoe often wore whenever the moon hung in the skies on a night.

"Okay. Well, the second you wanna change back, you just let me know, okay? The last thing I want is for Zoe to come back and see that there's suddenly two of her." Katya watched as Zane excitedly scampered off, leaving the Purple Room behind. Katya had a creeping thought in the back of her head that this wasn't going to end well, but she could only hope that Zane found out who he was before Zoe came back. Her business with him done, she went back to the spell corner of the Purple Room and started to look up some more new spells.

* * *

Zane returned to the Purple Room at last and saw that the other Super Monsters were still deep in their costumed escapades. Except now, Olive and Rocky had been doing some work while he was gone. They had made a makeshift pirate ship out of pillows, blocks, and other materials around the classroom and were having an epic toy swordfight to the bitter end, still laughing all the while. Meanwhile, Sami, still dressed in her ballerina attire had gone off of the idea of dancing and was now trying out some new clothes on top of the ballerina outfit. The first of which was an adventurer's hat with a whip. The same kind of one that Zane would have seen Cleo wearing.

"Alright, Zane. Just play it cool." He told himself. "You look like Zoe, but you're still Zane deep down. You can do this." He took a deep breath and walked into the room. "Hey, everyone. I'm back!"

It was then that Olive had managed to pin down Rocky; toy sword pointed at his chest. When she saw who was at the entryway, she couldn't help but lift a brow. "Huh? Zoe? What are you doing here?" She jumped off of the ship, completely abandoning both it and her pirate character. "Aren't you supposed to be upstairs with Igor's class? What's going on?"

"Olive, it's me, Zane!" He explained himself as he put his hands on his new paint-coated dress. "I look just like Zoe now, thanks to Katya. Now, I'm totally gonna find out how she loved her favorite things here in class!" He threw his hands downward in glee.

"Wait, how are you doing that?" Rocky asked. He was looking at Zoe, but he was hearing Zane's voice. He had to rub his eyes to make sure that he wasn't having a kooky dream. Where he hoped that he would see Zane again, he still saw Zoe. "You look just like her..." Rocky flapped down to Zane's side and lifted up what he perceived to be Zoe's arms, trying to see if there was anything different about them.

"Wait, what's going on?" Sami noticed the commotion going on with Rocky, Olive, and what she saw to be Zoe. With her new adventurer's hat and her ballerina clothes on, she came toddling over to see what the sight was. "And... why is Zoe here? I thought she was going on a field trip with the other Super Monsters tonight."

"That's because it's not really Zoe, Sami." Olive turned to face Sami. "Well, it _is_ Zoe, but it's really Zane! He went up to the Purple Room and asked Katya for a magic spell that turned him into Zoe!"

"Yep." Zane gave a nod as he took a look at Sami. "How do I..." He was about to ask how he looked, but when he saw Sami's mish-mashed attire, he couldn't help but stare. "Actually... what are _you_ wearing?"

"It's so strange..." Sami, wide-eyed and curious, walked over to Zane's side and looked at his new form. From the rainbow-colored hair with the golden ribbons in it, the pearly necklace around his neck, the paint-splattered dress that he was wearing, and the purple shoes that he now sported, Zane looked the spitting image of Zoe. "You look just like her, but you also sound the same as you always do. Katya can really do things like this?"

"Yeah! Now, I can totally find out how Zoe used to love this stuff!" And without another word, Zane raced back over to the table to try and do some more art. Now in his new guise, Zane was sure that something would click. After all, if he looked like Zoe, he felt more like Zoe, and he could properly figure out what made her tick. Taking some crayons into his hand and laying down a new sheet of paper, Zane got to work, scribbling and doodling away. Unlike before, he looked down at himself and saw Zoe. He thought about her love for drawing and how much she enjoyed doing it, and that carried him forward to create; his mind brimming with ideas.

All the while, Ms. Mina stared at Zane from afar. Even though he was feeling happier now, it was surreal to see him as Zoe. And, in her mind, she felt slightly disappointed at what he had done. Sure, Zane was fulfilling his wishes of wanting to know how Zoe felt, but there was no need for him to actually become Zoe in the process. At least, not to her. Still, it wasn't in her place to demoralize Zane; especially since he was starting to find his stride within all of this. All that she could do now was hope that Zane could figure out something else on his own.

"And just a little bit of that, and some of this aaaaaand, voila!" Zane, finally happy with his work, took the paper and scampered off to the other Super Monsters in the New Class. "Hey, guys! Check this out!" He said, holding up his newest masterpiece. Said picture involved him and Zoe sitting together at the same table while drawing a picture together.

"Whoa..." Olive, Rocky, and Sami were all taken aback by this new picture. It seemed like the kind of thing that Zoe could've made, yet this was something Zane came up with.

"I've still got a lot to work on, but I know this is a start, right?" Zane said, looking down at his work with a smile. "Zoe always told me that making pictures is one way to show people who you really are; to let people know quickly what kind of stuff makes you, well... you. And I think I've got it all figured out. I wanna be just like my big sister; a kind, dependable, artsy Super Monster!"

"Sounds wonderful, Zane!" Olive threw her arms out in jubilation of Zane's newfound resolve.

"It really is." Sami gave a nod, walking a few steps forward. "Y'know, I kinda wish that I had a big sister of my own. Mom's nice and all, but, you've got Zoe. And she's one of the best Super Monsters there is."

"Me too! Uncle Doyle's a great guy, but you've got a best friend for life, Zane." Rocky added to the conversation. "Like, I'm super-duper jealous. Wish I could have a big brother or sister of my own."

"Well, you're great as you are, Rocky. In fact, all three of you are the best you can be without needing any big brothers or sisters." Zane tipped his hand out to the three Super Monsters. "But then there's me. Still wondering who he really is with Zoe around. That's why I've gotta do this. I've gotta figure out who I really am and who I can be." Zane looked over to Ms. Mina, who, upon noticing that he was looking at her, hastily opened her eyes and gave him a smile, though she couldn't help but sweat from head to toe. "In fact, I've just got an idea!"

Zane sped on over towards the chest of outfits once again, phasing through the box. He rummaged his way through the myriad of clothes, trying to find something unique; something special. Something out of the ordinary. And sure enough, he found it. Zane jumped out of the box dressed up in what looked like a cape and a mask for his face. "Zoe told me about the time she and her friends became superheroes after they made a superhero story, so I thought I'd try and play superhero myself!" He didn't look one bit like Zoe's old superhero persona, Paint Pal, but he didn't mind that one bit.

The Super Monsters in the New Class went back to their games; re-adopting their dress-up personas. Except now, Captain Olive now found herself trying to pick a playfight with Sami, who was completely unfazed and did everything that she could to gracefully leap and twirl around like she was in a ballet concert out of the way of the dreaded ogre captain's cutlass. Meanwhile, Rocky and Zane had decided to join forces and become an unstoppable crime-fighting pair of Super Monsters. A western-gargoyle with a superhero zombie sounded like an odd mash-up on paper, but the two boys made it work, as they sank into the roles that they dressed up as.

Ms. Mina was glad that the Super Monsters were all enjoying themselves, but she still couldn't stop thinking about the lengths that Zane had gone to in order to find himself. Even now, she was still unconvinced that he was in the right kind of mindset. Rather than show her emotions clearly, she just took a deep breath and turned towards the entryway. She walked out of the room and made her way up the stairs towards the Purple Room. She needed some real help if she was going to be able to figure this kind of problem out.

Ms. Mina eventually came to the doors and opened them wide, letting herself into the Purple Room. Straight away, she saw Cleo racing by on her hoverboard, trying to keep a little cyclone of hers under control, though it was starting to prove harder than she had anticipated. When the wind blew out and dissipated, Cleo let out a sigh and noticed Ms. Mina standing by the doors. "Oh! Ms. Mina!" She said, drifting down towards the ground. She jumped off of the hoverboard, watching as it disappeared and changed back into a scarab beetle; one that she picked up and put away. Her headdress also opened up to reveal the straight, black hair on the top of her head. "What's up?"

"Hi, Cleo." Ms. Mina put on a little grin as she watched Cleo stand there politely for her. "Do you mind if I talk to Katya for a little bit? I kinda need to get something off of my chest for a bit."

"Off your chest? What's the matter?" Cleo asked, blinking at Ms. Mina. "You're usually so chipper, aren't you? Must be something pretty awful..."

"Well, it's about Zane." Ms. Mina said, taking Cleo's hand and strolling towards the spell corner, where Katya was experimenting with some new spells, plucking books off of the walls. "Zane came up here earlier tonight and asked Katya for a spell." She started to explain. "He wanted to know what it was like to be like his big sister, Zoe. So he made Katya turn him _into_ Zoe for the night. And... while he's having fun, I don't really know what to think about it."

"What do you mean?" Cleo asked.

"Well, I can't help but feel that Zane's trying too hard to be like Zoe. Like, he doesn't have to be _exactly the same_ as her to know who he is; even if he is her little brother. At this rate, he's gonna end up having learned nothing about himself." Ms. Mina tipped her hand. "I dunno. How do I say it to him without hurting his feelings?"

"Oh?" Katya turned her head from the spell she had been working on, having heard Ms. Mina's dilemma. "What is it, Ms. Mina?" Katya asked, walking over to her side.

"Hey, Katya." Ms. Mina squatted down so that she was the same height as the two Super Monsters. "I was telling Cleo about the problem I've got. I was just asking her how I could tell Zane that he doesn't need to be exactly the same as Zoe to figure out who he really is. But I don't want to hurt Zane's feelings, either. Because I know how much that spell you cast on him made him happy..."

"I had my doubts as well, Ms. Mina." Katya said, holding her wand with both hands. "Zane's a nice friend and Zoe's very lucky to have him as his little brother, but there's just really nothing else that sets him apart from her." She shook her head. "They have the same powers, they both have the same kind of interests, and they're both Super Monsters like the rest of us. How could Zane be any different from Zoe when they both love exactly the same things?"

"I'm sure that Zane likes different things other than Zoe. He just hasn't figured it out yet." Cleo tugged as Ms. Mina's side. "After all, being different is what makes you special. It would be nice to have two Zoes around, but there's only one Zane. It wouldn't be right if we lost Zane like that, would it?"

"As long as we can teach Zane who he really is and what he wants to be, then I'm sure that he'll come around." Katya nodded. "And I think I might have just the right spells for the job..." She said, levitating a set of books down from the shelves for just such a feat.

Ms. Mina just gave a smile as Katya gathered up all the books that she needed. She and the other teachers had done so much for the Super Monsters, that she forgot that helpfulness was a two-way street. To see that Katya was willing to help her with her plight gave her hope that maybe, just maybe with this little plan, they'd all get through to Zane together and show him that he's more than just Zoe's little sister.

* * *

Back downstairs, Katya was escorted by Ms. Mina and saw first-hand exactly what Zane was up to with the other Super Monsters. Now, instead of simply emulating Zoe's style, he was trying to spread it to the others. Using a paintbrush and the colours he had been given, he was painting new streaks in the others' hairs. In Sami's hair, he had painted pink and yellow stripes in her hair. For Olive, he was painting both of her messy bunches. Her left one had been painted green and the other had been sloshed with orange. And for Rocky, he was trying his best to change his hair colour, but Rocky was already one step ahead of him, always changing his body colour as part of a game; making Zane shift between idea after idea.

"Oh, Ms. Mina! You're just in time!" Zane said, speeding over to Ms. Mina. He was coated in head to toe in splotches of paint, more so than usual. Even now, it was hard to tell if the ones on his persona of Zoe were part of her clothes or freshly splattered onto his body. "I've been giving the Super Monsters a super-makeover while you've been away!"

"I see... Well, it definitely does suit them." Ms. Mina tried her best to keep her composure up since she was staring straight at Zane as Zoe after all. "I bet you've really enjoyed putting your heart and soul into this kind of work, Zane."

"Oh yeah. Zane's been loving doing this!" Rocky gave her a grin. "He's been thinking about painting the entire classroom now that he's got Zoe's body!"

"It's gonna look like the best Super Monster classroom ever!" Olive was already thinking about the kind of things that Zane would do to the classroom itself to see if he could make it look even prettier than it already was.

"Just like Zoe would have done it!" Sami added. And those words sunk into Ms. Mina's head like a rock tumbling into the water.

"Just... like... Zoe?" Ms. Mina tried to think about what Zane would be like if he was Zoe for the rest of time. Not only would he become indistinguishable, but she was also worrying about what Zoe would be thinking about if there were too of her. Would she lose confidence in herself because Zane's trying to mimic her in every way? No. She needed to make a stand here and now, no matter how painful it might have seemed. But before she could say anything, Katya was already ahead of her with her wand in hand and ready to go.

" _Lots and lots of choices to choose. From painting pics to having a snooze. Show us choices wide and vast. Let's give Zane choices, and fast!_ " Katya declared and swung her wand, sending a magical spiral spitting out of the star-shaped tip of it. The whirling wave of magic swept out in front of Zane and showed him a bunch of objects. From a stethoscope to a hammer, and even an acrobat's bar. All of which made Zane stop and pause for a moment. Lifting a brow at it all, Katya walked forward and said, "Zane, I know how much fun you're having being just like Zoe, but there's so many other things out there that you can do and what you could be." She said, handing him the stethoscope first.

Then, with a twirl of her wand, she and Zane found themselves inside of a doctor's office. Katya was laid out on the bed, with Henri on a similar, yet smaller bed. As for Zane, he was still garbed as Zoe, but a noticeable difference was that he was now clad in a doctor's uniform, complete with a white coat, a hat, and the stethoscope around his neck.

"What's this, Katya?" He said, tilting his head to the side.

"Being a doctor's a wonderful thing to strive for." Katya played the role of a hospital patient as Zane waddled over to her side. "Doctors have an important role in making sure that everyone's happy or healthy, whether they're a monster or a human. And since we're both, I think you'd make a wonderful doctor, Zane."

"You... think so?" He asked, taking hold of the stethoscope. Curiously, he brought it to Katya's chest and, sure enough, as he put it down, he heard her heartbeat. It was gentle, soothing, and rather comforting for him to hear.

"Uh-huh!" Katya gave a nod. "But if you're more of a pet person, you could try being a wonderful vet, just like Doctor Jekyll." She gestured over to Katya, who also assumed a lying-down posture on his back, exposing his furry belly for Zane. "Pets need just as much love and protection as humans and monsters too, Zane. It's your choice, though."

"Do you think Zoe would like it if I was a doctor, Katya?" Zane asked, as he went over to check on Henri's health. He planted the stethoscope on Henri's chest to hear his heart, which was beating slightly faster than Katya's, but not by much. He shared a look with him, then one with Katya. "Come to think of it, she does have Luna as her Furever Friend. She'd totally love it if I were a vet. That way, I'd be able to make both of them smile!"

"Yep!" Katya stood up from the bed and watched as Henri, happy with his care leapt back into her arms. "But there's more than just that dream to shoot for, Zane." Katya took her wand and swung it around again, prompting another change of scenery.

This time, Zane and Katya found themselves on a makeshift building site, with both of them dressed in hard hats and construction overalls. Zane was holding onto the hammer he had been shown earlier and both Super Monsters were staring at what looked like a massive stockpile of blocks. Henri was also there, but he was on Katya's shoulder this time.

"Igor's been telling me this one recently, but there's a good chance that we Super Monsters could become good builders if we put our hearts and minds to it. Maybe it's because of the blocks in our classes, but I can't be sure." Katya gave a little laugh as she used her wand to start planting the blocks one on top of the other. "But it doesn't just stay like that forever, Zane. One tap and the whole thing comes crashing down like an avalanche. A rainbow-colored, plastic avalanche."

"So, you really think I can build something for real with just blocks?" Zane asked, clutching onto the hammer as he walked over to the stacked blocks.

"Everything's built with something, Zane. And it's always made by someone. It's not like our school just magicked itself up out of nowhere." Katya walked over and watched as Zane started to tap away at the blocks; each and every strike welding the bricks together to make a more sturdy structure. "As fun as it would to be able to make houses pop up with magic, builders are just as important too. You'd make a pretty good one, since you share some of Zoe's creativity."

"I mean, Zoe has made some pretty cool things with blocks with the other Super Monsters." Zane looked away from Katya, but kept on hammering away at the blocks that he had been given. Slowly, but surely, his work was starting to bear fruit as the blocks contorted and made what started to look like a house, which became more and more house-like with each successive tap. "One of her favorite ones was when she and Frankie worked together to make that castle. I bet that looked really cool."

At last, without even thinking about it and a few taps later, Zane had finished with his house. It was a cozy, little cottage, but it had all of the colours, shapes, and designs of the building blocks that he had been working with earlier. He took a step back to admire his creation, saying, "Whoa..." at the sight of it. "I really made this, Katya?"

"You sure did." Katya nodded with a tiny, polite giggle. "Now, why don't we go see what's inside, shall we?" She walked towards the door and opened it up with her wand, which made a magical swirling pool of light appear where there should've been an entrance hall. It was like they were going to jump into another world.

Excitedly, Zane sped through the door with Katya, and the both of them found themselves on a platform on a pole suspended high above the ground. In truth, they were both in a big top, wearing performers' spandex. Zane, though he was still dressed as Zoe, was wearing a rainbow-colored leotard while Katya's was a star-filled night sky leotard complete with a crescent moon hanging above the left breast. Though they were pretty high up, Zane could see that there was a net keeping them from falling all the way down to the ground. Another noticeable feature was that there was a crowd of faces looking up from the bleachers at the two of them.

"Whoa! What's this, Katya?" Zane's eyes popped out—though not literally out of his head—as he looked down from up high. "This is super-high-up!"

"It is, but there's some people who love to fly through the air for fun. No, I'm not talking about me, Drac, and the other Super-Monsters that can fly or have wings. I'm talking about acrobatics!" Katya said, watching as a bar came swinging over. She grabbed a hold of it.

"Acrobats?" Zake blinked.

"You only see them in circuses in the big tops, but being an acrobat is a really fun dream to have, Zane. You get to swing around, high off the ground and do all sorts of tricks. It's almost like you're flying." Katya said, then ran off of the edge, holding onto the bar. "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" She squealed, swinging from the platform to the middle of the air. She let go as a second bar met the first one, swinging off and grabbing hold of the second one. Now, Katya was no stranger to flying. She used a broomstick more often than not to get around long distances, so this was second nature to her. She swung to the platform on the other side of the big top, swung off high into the air. She had enough time and speed to perform a triple somersault, throwing her arms and legs out in a star-shape as she reached the top height, laughing with joy as she plunged back to the bar. She grabbed a hold of it and swung back to Zane's platform. This time, when she came back to the middle of the two trapeze bars, she performed a backward somersault and caught onto the bar again. Then, she dismounted and landed gracefully, performing a bow for Zane as she did so.

"Katya! That was amazing!" He ran over to the bar with his eyes twinkling like diamonds. "You're a great acrobat!"

"Thanks, Zane." Katya brought the bar over to him. "But I'm sure that you'll be a great one too. Give it a try!"

"I will!" Moved by how much fun she had been having with it, Zane took ahold of the bar and took a deep breath. With Katya giving him a smile and a thumbs-up, Zane threw himself off of the edge of the platform and held onto the bar as he swung over the crowds. With his momentum, Zane threw himself off of the bar as he came to the center of the two bars. He caught the bar and swung onto the next one. With a smile crossing his face as he swung back and forth, Zane got some more confidence in himself to try some tricks. With one dismount, he performed a somersault. When he came back to Katya's platform, he performed a swimming motion before he came falling back down to the bar. Grasping back onto it, he swung forward with so much speed that he went over the bar and caught it as it reached the other platform, performing a loop that brought him backwards. He dismounted upside down and did a double somersault. Catching the bar again, he finally jumped off and performed some aerial spins before landing gracefully on both feet; to the cheers of the crowd around him.

"See, Zane? You could definitely make it as an acrobat!" Katya grinned from ear to ear. "Listen to that crowd! They love you!"

"They really do, don't they?" Zane listened to the crowds cheering for him and Katya as he looked over the edge. Seeing all those smiles on the humans and monsters below gave him a great deal of joy. "Oh, Katya, this is awesome!"

"It is, isn't it?" Katya said. "Now, we should really get back home. The other Super Monsters are waiting for us."

"Okay! Let's go!" Zane took Katya's hand in understanding.

Together, the two of them leapt from the acrobat platforms, doing a little somersault together. As soon as they landed on the net and bounced back up, Katya swung her wand down again, and in a burst of light and colors, Zane and Katya landed back in the classroom, right before Olive, Rocky, Sami, and Ms. Mina.

"Wow, Katya! That was cool!" Zane's eyes—or were they Zoe's eyes? Even he was starting to lose track of who he was physically—were wide with glee and sparkled under the light of the classroom again.

"I'm glad you liked it, Zane." Katya watched as the objects that she had created disappeared into specks of magic. "Now, how do you feel? Do you think there's more to you than you think?"

"I..." Zane pushed his fingers together. "All those fun things, it... it looked so much fun. And you're saying that I really can go after those things?"

"Mmhmm. And not just those, but many more." Katya explained. "You can choose to be a fireman or policeman like Lobo's parents..."

"Or a president like me..." Olive added.

"Or a ballet dancer..." Sami nodded her head.

"Or you can do your own thing and try to get a new kind of job. A one-of-a-kind thing that you really wanna do because it sounds fun!" Rocky flapped his wings and threw his arms out.

"The point we're all trying to make here, Zane, is that it's nice to want to emulate your sister. It shows how much you love and appreciate her. But there's only really one you, Zane. And as much as you might like Zoe, you don't need to follow the beat of her drum 24/7." Ms. Mina finally walked up, knelt down, and laid a hand on Zane's shoulders at last. "You're you, Zane. You're a Super Monster through and through, but you're one of a kind. Zoe is Zoe, and Zane is Zane. It wouldn't be right if there were two Zoes and no Zanes, now would it?"

"Yeah... I guess it would be kind of a bummer...." Zane looked down at the ground, reflecting on the day that he'd had. "Man... I got so caught up in trying to be like my sister that I almost completely forgot about who I was in the process. You're right, Ms. Mina. There is only one me. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Sounds like that's my cue." Katya said, taking up her wand for one last spell that night. " _Now he's done with his Zoe game, turn this Zoe back to Zane!_ " With just a single magical bolt and a burst of cloudy smoke, Zane lost his Zoe persona and transformed back into his own self. The facade finally lifted, he was quickly joined by the other New Class Super Monsters in adoration; glad to see his face again.

"I'm glad that you're back, Zane!" Sami was the first one of them to speak as she gently patted him on the back. "I thought you'd have been stuck like that all night."

"Yeah! It's true what Ms. Mina says, y'know." Olive gave a nod. "Your big sister's done a lot of things and is a great Super Monster, but that just means you're gonna be an even better one!"

"You're gonna do great things, Zane. Not just the kinda stuff that Zoe likes, but the things that **you** like too!" Rocky pulled Zane into a mini-hug. "And you're gonna love it! I can just tell!"

"Thanks, everyone." Zane just grinned. "I'm glad too. Glad that I managed to figure out who I really am."

"And just in time too, by the looks of it..." Ms. Mina looked to the distance and saw that the sun was beginning to rise; bathing the New Class in its' morning glow.

"Sun Up!" The Super Monsters all said together as the sun began to brush their faces and they were transformed back to humans in a wave of purple, cloudy smoke. "Super Monsters!" They all declared as their human forms were revealed once again.

* * *

That morning, the children all went home with their respective parents one after another, leaving only Zane left. No sooner did he see his dad, when he found Zoe, walking back up the path to meet him and his dad. The moment that Zane laid eyes on Zoe, he raced over to her with a wave, then pulled her into a hug. "Hey, Zoe! How was your night?" He asked swiftly.

"Oh, I had a blast with my friends, Zane. Did you have a great time with the New Class?" She asked back.

"I did." He gave a nod. "You could say that I took some inspiration from you in places." He chuckled slightly under his breath.

"Wow... For real?" Zoe's eyes sparkled slightly. "Now I wish I could have seen it myself..."

"Well, whatever the two of you did get up to, I know that you had a great time all the same." Zoe and Zane's dad stood over them and wrapped his arms around their shoulders. "That's the beauty of being brother and sister, y'know? No matter how far away you feel, it's always like there's part of the other half inside of you, somehow."

"You can say that again, dad." Zane chuckled, thinking about the kind of journey he had been on that involved him being turned into his sister.

"Now, c'mon. Let's get you two home." Mr. Walker lead the way, with Zoe and Zane waddling after him. As Zoe walked with Zane, she felt like she had been right there with him all night. And as Zane walked with Zoe, he was more than happy to be his little brother. The two Walker siblings were inseparable; no two ways about it. Though they were in different classes and had different regimes and classmates, two things were always going to be the same. They were Super Monsters, and they were brother and sister. The two best things that they could have ever been...


End file.
